There Once Was An Arrogant Prince Who Met A Timid Townsgirl
by DayJune
Summary: Bella is a struggling student, who is considered a nerd. Edward is the smartest kid in school who's considered a god. When they're shoved together, they're both annoyed, but who knows what can happen? This is a story of a relationship between two kids from different worlds,their struggles, and maybe, just maybe, their happily ever after.
1. Unlucky

**Disclaimer: Ok, I am definitely not Stephenie Meyer and I do not own her brilliant ideas, no matter how much I wish I did. **

**Quote of the Day: "Life is so unfair, those who are good always have an unlucky life, those who are fake always better than us, liars..."**

**~ Anonymous **

Chapter 1: Unlucky

Bella's POV:

_7__th__ Grade_

"Bella, you got a C on the test. Did you not study, or did you just forget that you had a test that day?"

My social studies teacher, Mr. Anderson, looks down at me in concern as he fingers my test worriedly. It's after class, just after we got our tests back, and right before lunch, and I really just want to go.

I look down for a moment and the big, fat, red C flashes at me, teasing me and bothering me. I reply quietly, "I did study Mr. Anderson. I really did. I always do. It's just that I'm not smart."

And it's true. I really did study. I studied for about two hours each day leading up to this test, yet I did bad, like always. It's not fair. People like Edward Cullen, or Jane always got the best grades and didn't even try. I literally never saw them holding a book even once, which bothered me like crazy.

Mr. Anderson replies, as if trying to comfort me, "Bella, you're smart. Don't degrade yourself like that. I do see you study. I just needed to confirm that this is what you were studying for. I understand that you try, and that's all that matters, but I want your grades to go up, especially with all the effort you put in. How about you get tutored from one of your classmates?"

I sigh. I would hate to be tutored, but I knew I needed it.

I nod and reply, "Ok. But who will tutor me?"

Mr. Anderson frowns for a moment and mumbles, "Good question. I haven't really thought of that."

He opens his grade book and flips to my class: 702. He drags his finger down the page, and I can't help glancing at my name. I flinch as I see a lot of C's but no A's. He stops at a name. I see a lot of bright A's and A+'s there.

Hmm… it had to be Edward, Jane, Angela (my best friend), or Jacob, who was my other close friend. I silently prayed that it was either Angela or Jacob.

Sadly, the next words that come out of Mr. Anderson's mouth are not the ones that I wanted to hear. He says, "Bella, I'm thinking that Edward Cullen could tutor you. He does have the best grades. I don't think it will be easy to convince him to spare his time, but I think that I'll give him extra credit for this, not that he needs it, but he'll be convinced with that."

I implore, "Please, please, please can Angela or Jacob tutor me? It's…um… necessary!"

He smiles apologetically, "I'm sorry Bella, but I know that you are close with both of them, and the purpose of this is to get your grades up. I'm almost sure that you'll be distracted with them. But you can get Jane or… hmm… or Jessica. Although she's not the best person to tutor you, she has decent grades."

I consider the options. Arrogant, popular, cocky, socially dependent Edward, rude, snotty, spoiled, but beautiful Jane, or giggly, rude, wannabe popular, teacher suck up, and irritating Jessica.

I sweetly smile and say, "You know what? I think I'll stick with Edward."

He nods and makes a note in his book. "I'll talk to Edward and get back to you by tomorrow. Have a nice lunch, and I'm sorry for keeping you."

I smile once again, thank him, and rush out the door.

I run to the cafeteria and as I approach Angela and Jacob, I pout visibly.

Angela concernedly asks, "What's wrong now, Bella?"

I take out my ham and lettuce sandwich and take a bite before replying, "I got a C on that economy social studies test, and now, Mr. Anderson wants Edward Cullen to tutor me. Hey, by the way, what did you guys get on that test?"

Angela quietly murmurs, as if not wanting me to truly hear, "I got a 97."

Jacob proudly announces, "I got a 98! Ha, I beat you this time Angela!"

Angela shoots him a look, meaningfully glancing at me. Jacob lets out a small, "oh", and then dives his lunch wholeheartedly, not meeting my gaze.

I sigh and complain, "Are you serious? I got a stupid 79 and I studied so freaking hard! Hey, Jacob, did you even study?!"

Jacob straightens up, smirks and replies, "No comment, but it rhymes with snow, which is what the weather consists of a lot here at Forks. Well, actually, it rains a lot, so that is an incorrect reference. Ok, let me correct myself. It rhymes with snow which is what happens a lot in some parts of Alaska."

I roll my eyes. He could've just stopped at 'Forks', but no… he just had to be a perfectionist and correct himself.

Angela interrupts him before he can continue about how awesome it is that Greenland is very cold and the opposite of Iceland, which lately, has been his latest obsession, which I found odd, but he finds intriguing.

"Bella, are you okay with Edward teaching you?"

Angela is just so sweet. I reply, "I'm fine. I need it anyway."

Angela retaliates, "But Edward is just so… cocky and aggravating. I mean, I hate to insult anyone, but he is definitely an exception."

I sigh again. If Angela insulted anyone, it meant that the person was super bad. I just shrug my shoulders as if to say, what can I really do about it?

Jacob pitches in, "Speak of the devil."

I turn around just in time to see Edward standing behind me.

His green eyes are narrowed in annoyance and he says coolly, "Guess what? I ran into Mr. Anderson when I was going to the bathroom, and he requested I tutor you." At these words, his nose wrinkles in disgust, and it goes back to its normal state as he continues, "I accepted, of course, seeing as how it would insult him. I just wanted to say: don't expect this to be something that brings us together in any way. We won't be friends or in any other relationship."

I mentally shudder at what he's suggesting and then coldly replies, "I don't want to be tutored by you just as much you don't want to tutor me. And you say that we won't get into any relationship? Well, good. Because that's exactly how I want it to be."

His green eyes momentarily fill up with surprise, but it's gone as soon as it had come. He then nod s and says, "Well, that's all I really wanted to say."

With that, he walks off and joins the table with the famous, beautiful, and rich ones of the school. Or as they probably like to think of it, of the whole entire world. Jeez. Sometimes, beautiful people could be a handful. Wait, scratch that: an armful which doesn't make sense, but you get the point.

I turn back to Jacob and Angela who are staring at me in surprise. I ask, "What?"

Jacob just shakes his head and then murmurs, "We just weren't expecting you to speak up like that."

I indignantly answer, "Why? Just because I'm not smart, doesn't mean that I don't have a voice."

Angela speaks, rushing into our conversation to try and save my feelings, "We didn't mean it like that. We were just impressed and in awe of how you stood him up. It was really great."

I accept this unsaid apology and nod. Then, I let myself think about this new dilemma that faces me.

Ugh, I'm just so excited for this to happen. Really. I am.

**Ok. What do you guys think? Like it? Hate it? **

** I'll repeat something one of the best writers ever on this site (Car who wrote Iewis and More, More, More) said after her chapters: "Hit or miss?"**

**If you don't know her, I'm pointing you to her. But I think you'll all know her. She's at the top of the list because of the millions of reviews she got ;)**

**~ DayJune**


	2. Unexpected

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight but I do own MANY phone cases. **

**Side note: This is all human, which is obvious, but which I wanted to shout out. Plus, Renee and Charlie are still together, and will always be for this story.**

**I am sorry that I haven't updated in a while. I have no excuse, but thank you everyone who's been on my back about it. I deserved it.**

**Quote of the Day: "To expect the unexpected shows a thoroughly modern intellect" ~ Oscar Wilde**

7th grade, BPOV

Chapter 2: Unexpected

I wake up to sunlight filtering through the curtains, and I groan. Today's the first day that Edward would be tutoring me. Two days ago, Mr. Anderson told me I'd be tutored by Edward. Just yesterday, he had told me when and where. It was to be today at the library in the school.

And honestly… I was dreading it. I just didn't want to be taught by someone with no morals or well… sentimental feelings. I knew that tutoring wasn't about that, but I didn't want someone who would be hostile the whole time.

I got up, and got ready for school, which for me, was only a ten minute process. When I got downstairs for breakfast, Renee and Charlie, my mom and dad, were eating breakfast and talking jubilantly. I call them mom and dad to their faces, but Renee and Charlie inside my head, and within my thoughts.

I pull out a chair and grab a waffle and orange juice. As I munch, Renee asks, "Is everything okay, sweetie? You look a little down."

I finish chewing, swallow, and then reply, "I'm fine. I'm just a little in the dumps. Today, Edward Cullen starts to tutor me." I make a face at his name.

Charlie lectures, "Bella. Carlisle Cullen is an excellent man, and the best doctor we have here in Forks. He's respected, and I'm sure that his son is just as kind and polite. We do not insult people just because of what we think they're like."

I answer, "First of all, dad, just because his dad is respected and kind, doesn't mean he is. Second of all, I don't just think he's annoying and snobbish; I know he is."

Charlie holds two hands up and surrenders. "Ok darling. I'm just saying: don't judge him too quickly."

Renee adds in, "Your father's right. When I first saw Esme Cullen, I thought that she would be like one of those desperate housewives on that ridiculous show, but she's kind and she treats her position on the PTA seriously. She is much respected as well."

I groan and ignore them. I look towards Renee when I finish eating. "Hey mom, you're dropping me off, right?"

She nods, grabs her keys, and we walk to her car. We get in, and soon, after about 5 minutes, we pull up outside of Forks Middle School.

I part her with a quick peck on the cheek, and walk inside, shivering from the cold.

When I reach the hallway, Angela comes up to me, with Jake (AKA Jacob, the annoying best friend of mine) trailing behind her.

Angela warmly says, "Hi Bella!"

I greet her, and we walk to English class.

Soon, before I know it, it's the end of the day. Lucky for me, I now have to face Edward.

I part Angela and Jacob sadly, watching wistfully as they head to Dolly's Ice Cream Delights to grab a treat together. I wish I could go too, but instead, I'm stuck with Edward and a whole lot of studying on the table.

I dejectedly head to the library, and when I get there, I sit at an empty table, after seeing that Edward isn't there waiting for me. I wait fifteen minutes before groaning in frustration. Of course he would be late! He has no commitments, and no manners, and no…well… that was it. He had everything else.

But anyway, this was so annoying. I cannot believe that he's making me wait for him for fifteen minutes, and that's a lot, considering our tutoring schedule was only forty five minutes each day, every day.

Before I could gather my books and leave the library in a hurry, a shadow falls over me. I glance up to see a smirking Edward, and I almost roll my eyes.

I growl, "Where the heck were you? I was here for about fifteen minutes, and you were probably hanging out with your friends having a blast. Or did you decide that you needed to show up fashionably late? Hmm?"

He smiles, amusedly, and then replies, "C'mon Bella. I was only fifteen minutes late. In that time, you can't even finish your math HW."

My blood boils and I coldly say, "I already know that I'm dumb. I don't need it rubbed in my face."

He almost looks apologetic when he says, "I didn't mean it in that way. It was a joke. Anyway, why don't we get started?"

I nod silently and he sits next to me. He flips through the textbooks and then speaks up, "What do you need help with, exactly?"

I bite my lip, in deep thought, and then I reply, "Well, the math things we're learning our pretty difficult for me."

He stares at me in disbelief. "Are you kidding? We're only learning basic inequalities. It's one of the easiest things we've learned so far this year in math."

I indignantly reply, "Hey! Just because you're a genius and think everything's so easy, doesn't mean everyone has the same mentality."

He grunts and then sighs, giving in. "Fine, I'll explain the concept."

And so the rest of the session went like that. Me not getting something, him in disbelief at my stupidity, me pouting, him giving in, him teaching me, me not getting it, him groaning in frustration, then him trying to teach it again, fail,fail, fail, OMG success, and then, "I don't get this either Edward."

So it was amusing to me, irritating to him, and helpful to me. I really did learn more than expected, and so this was a major success, but I was never going to admit that to him.

When I got home, I immediately phoned Angela, who had told me before she and Jake had left to get ice cream, to call her immediately about how the session went.

After the second ring, Angela picks up and then immediately asks, her voice burning with curiosity, "Bella, how'd it go? Helpful, or a waste of time?"

I giggle as I answer, "Well, Edward was exasperated the whole time because of my lack of knowledge, and it was funny. AND, it was really helpful, and definitely not a waste of time. But, he was freaking fifteen minutes late, which annoyed me like crazy. And then he was all like, fifteen minute is nothing."

Angela giggles and then says, "Wow, I didn't expect to hear such praise of the session, and it's even better because it was funny at the expense of Edward. But him being that late is just terrible. Does he think that he's some sort of prince who has perfectly good reasons to be late? Or does he need some beauty rest?"

I giggle. "Probably both."

I guess it wasn't going to be so bad, considering that these sessions would not only be helpful, but would also be entertaining for me.

_9 months later (They are now in eighth grade): _

It had been about six months since Edward has started to tutor me. I'm getting more B's than C's now, and the occasional A peeks through. Not only that, but I feel like Edward actually doesn't hate me as much when he first started. Sometimes, he even suggests that we have an extra session outside of school sometimes, and when we do, a lot of laughing goes on. At first, Jacob was absolutely ludicrous of the friendship that was developing, but soon enough, he got over his moping, and was back to happy Jacob.

It was almost the end of the school year: only about 20 days to go, and then I would be free. Well, until the start of high school.

Right now, I was waiting in the library for Edward, and he was running a little late. Ok, a lot late. Before I can call him to check up on him, I see him strolling casually into the library.

Something isn't right. I can immediately tell because his green eyes are usually a little warm and smoldering when they're with me, but right now, they're cautious and cool. The green is flat and not alive, like usual. I shake it off. It's probably one of his mood swings. I get a lot of them, being around him, and so it was nothing new.

He sits down next to me, but I can see him leaning slightly away from me. What. Did I repulse him or something?

I slowly say, "Ok, can we go over this please?"

I shove our science textbook towards him, pointing out exactly what I needed help with. He glances over it, and then nods curtly.

He dives into teaching me, without even looking at me once, except to ask me to let him borrow a pencil. Of course, I know that tutoring sessions aren't meant to be social things, but this was new. Very new, and very annoying.

Finally, I cannot take it anymore. I whisper fiercely, "Edward, why are you acting like this?"

He coolly replies, "Like what?"

I roll my eyes, exasperated. "Annoying and rude!"

He stays silent and then says, "It doesn't matter. Let's get back to the subject, okay?"

I nod, and sigh and nod, dejectedly. This was almost exactly like how we treated me before the tutoring sessions even began, and it was unnerving. Suddenly, I can't take it anymore. He's not a girl, yet he's PMS'ing, and it was annoying the cows poop out of me.

"Edward! Tell me right now what you're thinking about!"

He sighs and runs his fingers through his unruly hair. "Fine. It's just that Rosalie and Jane have been on my back about hanging out with you, okay?"

I immediately knew this wasn't true. Ever since we had started to get close, Rosalie, Jane, and the rest of his posse had been totally annoyed with our friendship, but Edward had never cared.

I narrowed my eyes and then said slowly, "Edward, tell me what's really wrong."

He glances over at me quickly and then buries his head into his hands.

His muffled voice lets out a couple of inaudible words. I ask him to repeat what he had said and so he lifts his head up and then speaks the following words: "Bella,"

**HA! Cliffie! Ok, it's not as serious as you guys are probably going to think it is, but it's a small cliffie. OK. I will try to update quicker. Once again, I AM SUPER SORRY.**


	3. Enjoyment

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight but I do own a sore throat at the moment.**

**Quote of the Day:** "**Slow down and enjoy life. It's not only the scenery you miss by going too fast - you also miss the sense of where you are going and why."**

**~Eddie Cantor**

**Advertisement of the Day: The Cullen Brothers by acemckean. It's VERY good!**

"Bella, you know how we got our high school acceptance letters?"

I thought about what he said for a while. We had! Actually, we had just gotten them today. I was going to show mine to Edward but his weird personality had distracted me. But there wasn't really much to show. I had gotten into Forks High School, the high school that everyone who at least knows their basic addition gets into. It definitely wasn't like Jonson High or The Gifted and Talented, but I wasn't disappointed.

I nodded. But I was nervous. Did he get into a bad school? Was that why he was sad? Did he think that I was the reason he didn't?

He continues, "Well, I got into a couple of schools…"

I breathe, relieved. "That's great Edward!"

He nods cautiously and then asks, "What schools did you get into?"

Ignoring the fact that he hadn't told me which ones he had gotten into, I spurted out, "Well, I just got into Forks High, but that's fine, because anywhere else would've been too much for me."

That's when Edward's eyes close, his face wrinkling in worry. I ask timidly, "Edward… are you okay?"

"Bella, I got into Jonson High, The Gifted and Talented, Keller High, Hunter, and Forks High."

I gape at him. Those were the best schools nearby. I gulp, knowing what was coming up.

"Bella, I'm going to be going to Jonson High, Keller, or Hunter."

I sigh, sadly. Of course he was. Why would he choose Forks over any of those? It's just… we had gotten so close in the past year, and even in the summer, we had gotten together, and hung out. This separating would be tough for me, but I knew that I couldn't hold him back from going to a great school.

I nod, signaling that I understood his decision, and that I was cool with it. His face eases up and I almost feel… happy. He had been that worried about me? That felt good…

He then smiles brightly and stood up suddenly. He held out a hand and then said, "Come Bella. I've got to show you something."

I beamed back at him and took his hand. We ran out of the library, forgetting out stuff completely. But who cared? Edward was actually taking me somewhere. Who would've thought that it would come to this? The infamous, popular, rich, handsome Edward taking me, the timid, weird, and dumb Bella somewhere that he obviously thought of as special.

We run and run and run until we reach the edge of the woods. Without questioning him, I let him lead me into the woods. We go deep into the woods, and before I could become scared, I see a light shining through a gap between two large branches. Edward eagerly pulls me through and…

I am met with the most beautiful sight ever. The sun is shining, the rays of light caressing the grass. And the grass! So tall, softly swaying in the warm breeze, as green as grass can possibly get. They flowers, yellow like the sun. It seems too picture perfect here.

I look towards Edward to see him staring right back at me, his emerald green eyes burning… smoldering. His pale face surrounded by the bronze halo. I sigh inwardly. He's just too handsome. Edward pulls me down onto the floor and we lie down on the grass, side by side watching as the clouds slowly, and lazily drift by against the blue sky.

I say, "Edward, can we still meet up even though we're going to different schools?"

Edward says in that velvety voice of his, "Of course Bella. Why wouldn't we?"

I answer, "I don't know. I just wouldn't want this friendship to come to an end."

Edward chuckles. "Don't worry it won't."

And I leave it at that. Because right now, I just want to enjoy this moment and take in the beauty of the world, because it's just me and Edward in the world right now. Just us two, holding hands, watching the puffy residents of the sky wave goodbye as they pass.

It's just us right now.

**Sorry for the short chapter. It just seemed like a good place to end for now.**

**Until next time…**


	4. Summer

**Hey there people! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. Stephenie Meyer does. But… I do own BBQ chips. Me likey BBG chips.**

**Quote of the Day: "Hope is the denial of reality" - Margaret Weis**

**I have two quotes for today! **

"**You will find peace not by trying to escape your problems, but by confronting them courageously. You will find peace not in denial, but in victory" - J. Donald Walters**

**Advertisement of the Day: Well, no one wanted me to advertise their story so I'll just do one that like: The Siren's Song by TheForgottenMCRmy.**

Summer Life:

School was finally over. Of course, Edward had graduated as valedictorian whereas the principal didn't even know me. Literally, he read my name and then he said, "There's an Isabella Swan at this school?"

I mean, it was a seriously small populated school, but no, he didn't even have the care to know my name. Whatever, I wasn't annoyed.

It was about two weeks into summer now, and today, Edward, Angela, Jacob, and I were going to the beach. I was really excited. And at this moment, I was driving to the beach to meet up with them. Well, Charlie was driving me.

"Hey Bella, be careful will you?"

I rolled my eyes. Charlie has been questioning this trip for the last few days. "Dad, I'll be fine. God, you are so overprotective at times."

"I know, I know. I'll calm down now."

"THANK YOU."

We then pulled up into the beach parking lot. I quickly scrambled out of the car, trying to avoid another lecture. I waved at my dad and then ran to the beach. I quickly spotted Edward and the rest, who were chatting. I ran up to them.

I greeted them. Edward smiled and said, "Hey Bella. I've got news."

I curiously asked, "What is it?"

"I've decided to go to Jonson High, because it's the closest to Forks so we can get together more often."

I grinned and hugged him quickly. Then, I turned to Angela and Jacob, who had gotten into almost all of the schools that Edward had gotten into.

"What schools are you guys going to?"

Angela softy replied, "Hunter."

Jacob replied, "The School for the Gifted and Talented."

I sadly said, "Wow, we're all going to separate schools."

Jacob rolled his eyes, while the others developed frowns. "Guys, we're at the beach, can we please not get all sappy? Let's get sappy and all that stuff at the end of summer. For now, let's chill."

We all nodded, desperate for a change of subject. We quickly took off out other clothes and then dove into the sparkling, shining water. Edward immediately splashed me. I narrowed my eyes.

"So that's how it is, huh?"

He winked and then quickly swam away, aware of what was going to happen next. I smiled at him sweetly and then dove after him. Even though I had used to be clumsy, I took a lot of sports lessons, and had slowly developed a sense of balance and all that stuff. I swam quickly and effortlessly soon catching up to Edward, and then dunking him under water, holding him down for a couple of seconds before letting him go and swimming back to the surface.

When I resurfaced, I faced Edward, who had a shocked look on his face. "Wow Bella. I didn't realize you were such a great swimmer."

I smirked, enjoying his bafflement. "I took a few lessons…"

He muttered something incoherently under his breath. I ask, "Oh what's that? I didn't hear you?"

He grins and then teases, "Just saying how someone as dumb as you can possibly understand what the coach teaches you."

I let out a full out laugh, and when I look back I see Edward looking at me intensely. His eyes are brimming with emotion. I stop laughing and inquire, "What's wrong?"

He mutters, "Nothing."

Suddenly, out from… well… nowhere, pops out a girl. A very pretty girl at that. She has strawberry blonde hair and beautiful and enticing midnight blue eyes. She's pale, but a creamy pale, and she has curves and full lips. Next to her is another amazingly gorgeous girl. She has fiery red, sleek, straight, and shiny hair, and her green eyes are big and emerald like. Not exactly like Edward's eyes, but a more celery-ish color. She has the same great body as the other. They look as if they stepped out of Vogue magazine.

The blonde one wades closer to Edward lightly touching his shoulder. She says in a smooth, light voice, "Hey there. I'm Tanya. Tanya Denali. Who're you?"

Edward grins goofily at her and replies in a confident voice, "Edward. Edward Cullen."

Tanya grins at him, sexily. And it isn't like Jessica's trying to look seductive grin. It's like a truly, model-like sexy grin. "Want to chill with Victoria and me?"

Edward nods and looks back at me briefly, "You'll be okay with Angela and Jacob, right Bella?"

Before I can answer, the Victoria says in a soprano, bell like voice, "She'll be just fine, won't you Becca?"

I glare hard at her but before I could correct her and say, 'Umm. I do care…' Victoria and Tanya drag him away to the volleyball courts.

I sigh and a clawing feeling crawls up my chest overwhelming me. Is it what I think it is? Is it jealousy? No, no, no. Edward is just a friend. And besides, he is way out of my league. This feeling is NOT jealousy. It's merely… disappointment. Yeah! That's what it is. Pure and uncontrolled disappointment that he, as my friend, has abandoned me on our special day together.

I begin to walk over to Angela and Jacob who are laughing and playfully splashing each other. But before I do, I take a glance at Edward and Tanya. My heart sinks at the sight. Edward and Tanya are grinning at each like crazy and are real close to each other. Additionally, they're holding each other. I mean, they knew each other for a total of, like, two minutes. What is this insanity?

I shake off the negative thoughts. It's nothing Bella. Just let it go. You don't control Edward. He's allowed to have fun with other people. This is just a little short time fun for Edward. He'll be over Tanya by tomorrow.

Little did I know that it wasn't just a short time crush. It was much more.

**So… how was it? Tell me people.**

**Alice, Rosalie, and others will come on. But not till a few chapters. Or maybe just two. I know how I'm going to introduce them.**

**Thanks to all of my reviewers. YOU GUYS ULTIMATELY ROCK.**


	5. Gone

**Hi guys! I have so many stuff due this week. Well, one big thing and a test. I'm nervous. OH WELL. Anyway, here you guys have it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight but I do own lamp. Well, don't we all.**

**Quote: "You build on failure. You use it as a stepping stone. Close the door on the past. You don't try to forget the mistakes, but you don't dwell on it. You don't let it have any of your energy, or any of your time, or any of your space" ~ Johnny Cash **

Chapter 5: Gone

It was a few days after the beach, which, in case you were wondering, was a VERY bad trip. The whole time, Edward literally swooned over Tanya, while she excessively made herself look seductive. When I had asked him if he wanted to hang out with Angela, Jacob, and I in the food court, he had given me a dirty look, as if I was his little sister that was bothering him.

Now, after days of calling him, wondering where the heck he was, he still had yet to answer me. And now here I was calling him for about the twentieth time today, hoping that he has the decency to talk to me, even if Tanya is a model while I'm just his 6 year old sister, with ice cream smeared all over her mouth.

The phone rings, and after the fourth ring, I'm about to declare that this is a missed call, when suddenly, his smooth voice inhabits the phone.

"Bella. I've got great news!"

Before I can reprimand him or even ask him what the news was, he rushes on, "Tanya and I are dating. And you know what's even greater? She also got into Jonson, so we'll be able to see each other a lot!"

That clawing feeling from the beach arises within me for a second and I quickly push it down. I choose to ignore the fact that Edward totally forgot that he had missed about 19 of my calls.

"Wow Edward… That's… great! But we'll still be able to see each other, right? You won't be totally infatuated with Tanya, so that you forget about me, right?"

Edward nonchalantly replied, "Oh Bella. No, of course not. You worry way too much."

He continued, "Now I've got to go. Tanya's dad got her tickets to a concert, and she invited me. Bye Bella!"

I sigh as he hangs up. Oh my god. This wasn't expected. He was only supposed to like her for that one beach day. It wasn't supposed to be more than that. But what did I care? They were the perfect, typical pairing. Fate had put them together. The beautiful model, the beautiful, popular boy. It was meant to be. I WAS NOT jealous. I was just sad at the loss of Edward, my friend.

No, admit it Bella. You're jealous. But how could I be? I never felt any attraction towards Edward. What should I be jealous of?

Ugh, this was going to be a long summer.

First Day of High School- 9th grade

That was a terrible summer. Ever since Edward has called me to tell about Tanya and him dating, all of the phone calls had been Tanya this and Tanya that and Tanya and I…

And I felt like ripping his head off which I wouldn't get a chance to do because every time I asked him to get together with me at the ice cream parlor or something, he would be all like 'I have to go chill with Tanya' or 'Tanya's dad got us tickets to this amazing circus' and all that blah bah bah.

Thank gosh it was the first day of school. Without Edward, it was an uncomfortable summer especially because Angela and Jacob had started to show… adoration for each other. In simpler words, they liked each other, and it was unnerving to see them so I just stayed away from them. I mean, do you want to see your life long childhood friends get together?

So here I am, casually standing in the courtyard by myself, watching friends chat and giggle, while I have no friends at all in this stupid school. I decide to just wait outside my first class, but before that can happen, something meaning someone, bumps into me.

The someone looks at me. It's a girl! Wow, that was a lot of excitement. I mean, it's not like she was the only girl in the whole world. Her eyes grow wide and she looks very sorry and says, "I am so sorry! I am just really nervous for today. I have no friends here."

I stared at her, mouth wide open. I had never heard anyone speak for that long. Seriously… never. But this girl didn't look like she was talkative even though she was. She had beautiful jet back hair that hung in curls. Her almond shaped brown eyes were framed with thick, long lashes, and she was tall, had a nice physique, and seemed nice. She also wore nice clothes. She had on a midnight blue crop top on over a white undershirt, wore black skinny jeans, had combat boots on, and long dangly silver earrings.

I giggled and replied, "No worries. All my friends are smarties and left me here. I'm Isabella Swan, but most people just call me Bella."

She replies in a relieved voice, "Calla Park. And it's spelled C-a-l-l-a, but most people think it's spelled K-a-y-l-a. I mean it's pronounced like Kayla though."

I laugh and then take a look at her schedule which her hands are holding.

I figure out that we had our first class together. I take her hand and pull her with me into the school. I was here for the orientation, so I knew.

I had found my first friend, and possibly only in this dreary dark place called Forks High.

2 months later:

Oh my god. I was sick and tired of Edward. Although I loved Calla, she wasn't the same as Edward. But now I was second thinking, because Edward had only called once, and that was to tell me that he'd be going with Tanya to her parent's house for Thanksgiving, so he wouldn't be able to see me. I had scoffed at that. He hadn't even tried to see me for the last three months. I hadn't seen him in freakin' three months. Like I cared if he wouldn't be able to see me for Thanksgiving.

But I did. It hurt that he could forget about me so quickly after he had promised that he would visit me as much as possible.

NO BELLA. You have Calla. Oh! Now that brings us to the subject of Calla. She became uber popular but she still stuck with me: boring, old, dumb Bella. And she's super smart. Additionally, I went to her house which is freakin' amazing. I don't get why she even hangs out with me. These girls: Irene and Juliana had been trying to get her away from me, but she resists. And I'm like: score for me!

Now that I mention it, I'm hanging out with Calla right now at her house. I just blanked out on her to think about Edward. I have to go back to her now.

I turn to her. She's looking at me expectantly. I say, "Calla, I'm sorry. I was thinking about Edward."

She smiles gently and pats my back. "It's okay Bella. I understand. But I think that it's time to move on. He's obviously being a complete…um… you know, so you should just forget about him."

I giggle softly. Calla refuses to curse. She's one of the most morally correct people that I know, and it's refreshing when I'm surrounded by people like Irene and Juliana, and although they're beautiful, it's not like Calla's beauty. While they're beautiful in fake, overdone, Barbie doll way, Calla has a natural, sweet, wild beauty, and makes you picture her prancing through the forest during spring, when the light is shining through the trees.

"Thanks Calla. You're the best."

Calla smiles and continues painting her nails. I decide to do mine in REALLY funky styles. Calla giggles as she sees what I'm doing.

And for now, I enjoy this little girl time we're having.

**So… What'd you guys think? WOW. I love spring. Random much?**

**Anyway, I'm going off track. Ok, I'll update as soon as possible, but that may not be that possible considering that I am SO busy with tests and projects this week. I'm literally crying in stress. Well, okay then. I'll go cry off by myself. BYE! **


	6. Success

**Hi guys! Sorry about not updating for a while! I hope some of you guys are still with me and this story. **

**Anyway, some of you guys gave me great ideas, but since I can't incorporate all of the ideas, I sort of mixed them together. So, I dedicate this chapter to Alexitacanada and Msd for giving me inspiration. Thanks a bunch!**

**Quote of the Day: "Opportunity, sooner or later, comes to all who work and wish."**

**~ Lord Stanley**

**I have another QOTD: "Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly."**

**~ Lanston Hughes**

**NOTE: Edited 6/30/13**

**(I reread it after I posted Chap. 7 and decided it needed fixing)**

_10__th__ grade: _

A lot of things had changed since 9th grade. Calla and I had gotten a lot closer; my grades have moved up from their consistent B's and only a few B's peek through. Calla already always got straight A's, and she's naturally a genius. And I became vice president of the grade while Calla became the president.

And something else happened to me, specifically. I became prettier, not to sound arrogant or anything. My flat brown hair took a trip to the hair salon, thus becoming incredibly soft and voluminous. My brown eyes had always been "beautiful" according to Renee and Charlie, but my hair just accentuated their gentle beauty even more.

Because of Calla, I wear better clothes. I hit a growth spurt during the summer before tenth grade and developed curves in all the right places. My pasty skin took a bit of work, but now it's a creamy pale.

These changes led to Calla and I being pretty popular at Forks and the guys just can't get enough of us. This is both annoying and flattering.

Furthermore, Calla and I previously decided that we were going to be competing in the Annual Forks High Dancing and Singing Competition. Scouts from all the best high schools came and looked for talent; late to switch high schools, yes, but it was a great opportunity.

The competition was in a week, and Calla and I were trying out as a duo. We would be singing to Bleeding Love by Leona Lewis. It was the perfect song just to feel the music and belt out words.

We were extremely nervous, and have been practicing for a while now, and we hoped that it would go well.

_Day of Competition:_

Calla and I were currently backstage, in our matching outfits. Calla used to be taller than me, but we were the same height now. We were wearing long, white, satin dresses that reached our feet. They only had one shoulder strap, and either looked like angel dresses, or togas. We were wearing white high heels and we had our hairs in side buns.

Calla was currently pacing around backstage, acting like a madwoman. "Bella, I'm freaking out! Oh my gosh, this is such a big deal!"

I soothe her, "It's fine Calla. We'll do fine. Just calm down."

She nods, but is still wringing her hands together.

Soon, it's our turn. When we walk out to stage, everyone cheers. It's endearing but nerve wrecking.

The music comes on, and we start:

_Closed off from love__  
I didn't need the pain__  
Once or twice was enough__  
And it was all in vain__  
Time starts to pass__  
Before you know it you're frozen_

Ooooh...

But something happened

_For the very first time with you__  
My heart melted to the ground__  
Found something true__  
And everyone's looking 'round__  
Thinking I'm going crazy_

Oooh,

But I don't care what they say

_I'm in love with you__  
They try to pull me away__  
But they don't know the truth__  
My heart's crippled by the vein__  
That I keep on closing__  
You cut me open and I_

Keep bleeding

_I Keep, keep bleeding love__  
I keep bleeding__  
I keep, keep bleeding love__  
Keep bleeding__  
Keep, keep bleeding love__  
You cut me open and I_

Oooh, oooh...

Trying hard not to hear

_But they talk so loud__  
Their piercing sounds fill my ears__  
Try to fill me with doubt__  
Yet I know that their goal__  
Is to keep me from falling_

Hey, yeah!

But nothing's greater

_Than the rush that comes with your embrace__  
And in this world of loneliness__  
I see your face__  
Yet everyone around me__  
Thinks that I'm going crazy  
Maybe, maybe_

But I don't care what they say

_I'm in love with you__  
They try to pull me away__  
But they don't know the truth__  
My heart's crippled by the vein__  
That I keep on closing__  
You cut me open and I_

Keep bleeding

_I Keep, keep bleeding love__  
I keep bleeding__  
I keep, keep bleeding love__  
Keep bleeding__  
Keep, keep bleeding love__  
You cut me open and I_

And it's draining all of me

_Oh they find it hard to believe__  
I'll be wearing these scars__  
For everyone to see_

I don't care what they say

_I'm in love with you__  
They try to pull me away__  
But they don't know the truth__  
My heart's crippled by the pain  
That I keep all closed in__  
You cut me open and I_

Keep bleeding

_Keep, keep bleeding love__  
I keep bleeding__  
I keep, keep bleeding love__  
Keep bleeding__  
Keep, keep bleeding love__  
You cut me open and I_

Keep bleeding

_Keep, keep bleeding love__  
I keep bleeding__  
I keep, keep bleeding love__  
Keep bleeding__  
Keep, keep bleeding love__  
You cut me open and I__  
Keep bleeding__  
Keep, keep bleeding love_

We finish and the audience erupts in cheers. It's possibly the one of the proudest moments of my life. I look at Calla and see she's crying of happiness, with a wavering smile on her face.

We walk off stage after taking a bow and as soon as we're off stage, Calla screams, "That was great Bella! But I'm so glad that it's over. That was probably both the best and worst moment of my life. Gosh, that audience was huge."

I giggle, but I have to agree. I am to extremely relieved. I'm naturally just not a center of attention type of girl, so that was frightening.

After everyone is done competing, there is a break for food and drinks, and after the break, everyone, except the competitors, sits down. The competitors walk onto the stage. Wow, that's a lot of people who are striving for the same thing.

The host of the competition, also known as Mr. Walker, a senior physics teacher, announces, "Everyone, settle down. We have the third, second, and the first place winners here!"

I bite my lip nervously. Of course, I didn't think that we would win first place, but being a runner up would be absolutely amazing.

He continues, "Alright, so the third place winners are… Irene and Julianne! Congratulations girls! Here's your trophy."

I snicker. I am so glad that they didn't win first place. I wouldn't be able to bear their bragging for the rest of the school year, and it was only February, so that would be a long time.

They walk up to the stage, looking pretty disappointed and I hear Calla snort besides me. We giggle together as we realize that we're both smirking at the same thing.

Mr. Walker continues, "And our second place winners… Keera, Nellie and Joanne. Wonderful job girls."

Calla and I share a panicked glance. We were striving for runner up because we both knew that we were most likely not going to get first place. What now?

I gulp and I feel like throwing up. This was a really important competition and it meant a lot.

Mr. Walker continues, "And the winner of the grand prize, the first place winners, are… Isabella and Calla. Congratulations girls!"

Calla and I squeal like fan girls, and run up to stage. The audience gives us a standing ovation and I feel myself tearing up. This is unbelievable.

After the awards ceremony, Calla and I are about to head outside to take the bus to our neighborhood (fortunately, we lived one block away from each other. When we found out, we were super excited), but a couple of official looking people stop us.

They are all wearing business suits, and seem like emotionless robots. A woman with a tight bun says in a high voice, "Are you two girls, Isabella Swan and Calla Parks. The ones who sang Bleeding Love?"

We nod cautiously. She continues, "We're Jonson High student recruiters. We would like to offer you spots in Jonson. Your grades are on par and you guys are musically talented."

Calla and I look at each other and she looks so excited at the moment that I almost laugh, but I realize that we're in a serious situation.

I say, "I can attend for sure. My parents were hoping that this competition would present this kind of opportunity. Thank you so much!"

The woman nods, smiling, and then turns to Calla, who says, "I can go too. My parents have been hoping for this."

The woman scribbles something down in her notebook and reads off from the sheet, "You guys can start coming to Jonson, a week from today on Monday. We'll take care of the basic paperwork. All you need to bring to school are yourselves and basic supplies. Thank you."

And with that, she and her posse left. Calla and I waited three seconds before bursting out into squeals and laughter.

"Bella, I cannot believe that just happened. We got accepted into Jonson! Us, Forks Highs students!"

"I know, Calla, I can't believe it either! I am so excited!"

Suddenly, Calla's face develops a frown. "But Bella… Edward goes to Jonson."


	7. Sweet Revenge

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, but I do own too many stories that I can't seem to finish or update within a reasonable time. Example: This story!**

**Which leads to: I'm sorry, it's been a while, and I hope some people are still with me. **

**To Alexitacanada: Another great suggestion, but alas, I had already written it in Bella's POV, but the next chap. or the chap. after that will probably be in Edward's POV. Thanks for being a great supporter and reviewer throughout this whole story!**

**To Beverly Marie: Thanks for your review! And yeah, I liked my little cliffy there as well! And thanks for being a consistent reviewer as well!**

**Quote of the Day: "The best revenge is massive success"**

**~ Frank Sinatra**

**Just a quick fact: Right now, they're in 10****th ****grade, and it's the beginning of February. **

**Ok, onto the story…**

Sweet Revenge:

"But Bella… Edward goes to Jonson."

Oh pickles! (Calla influences me). I was just really excited to get into an elite high school that wasn't Forks High, so I completely forgot about the Edward factor. What to do, what to do. And to add onto the weight of my decision: there weren't any high schools coming to intercept us which means it was Jonson or nothing.

Calla gently says, "Bella, I know that seeing Edward will be hard for you. He hurt you, yes, but honestly, you moved on. I mean, look at you! I think that going to Jonson will be a way to show him you're not the same person. You're bigger, better, and stronger. So, you shouldn't let Edward stand in your way. I mean, that's my opinion, but at the end of the day, it's yours that matters the most."

This makes me think. Calla's right. If I go to Jonson, it would be like getting my revenge; showing him that I really don't care about him anymore. Plus, why should I let _him_ get in the way of following my dreams?

I nod at Calla and she squeals excitedly. We're in this together.

_First Day at Jonson_

It was finally the moment we have all been waiting for. For me, it was more than just a great, new school. It was the chance to get sweet, sweet revenge.

Calla and I were currently standing in front of the school, just staring at it in awe. Well, it was definitely a step up from Forks High, even if it came with a longer commute. It was enormous and completely made of marble. The steps leading up to the glass, arched doors were plentiful, and a gorgeous golden plaque on the glass doors read: Jonson High School.

Calla and I look at each other with wonder in our eyes and holding hands, we walk inside. Immediately, all of the chatter that was previously floating around in the hallway comes to an abrupt stop. Everyone stops and stares at us.

I immediately duck my head; although I had changed, when everyone in a hall just stops and stares at you, and it's eerily quiet, you just feel a teensy bit shy. Calla, however, apparently, isn't a normal person and chooses to smile and wave.

At first, no one waves, but after a moment or two, people smile and wave back. Hmm, so I guess Jonson High students are not as snobby and rude as I originally assumed. Calla and I continue on, receive our schedules from the main office, and then compare schedules.

Much to our relief, we have almost every class together, except for last period, which is 8th period, in which Calla has English whereas I have gym, and the period right after lunch (which is 4th period), in which I have Biology and Calla has gym.

We head to our first period class: Math and I can tell that I'm not the only one that's nervous. Calla's squeezing my hand almost too tightly and the smile on her face is tight. It's like the Calla that had waved enthusiastically to a bunch of strangers had disappeared completely and decided to hibernate for first period class.

I gently soothe her, "Calla, don't be nervous. Sure, we're new students coming in the random month of February, and sure some students are going to be the smart versions of Irene and Julianne, but it's fine."

Wow, that pep talk went awry.

She rolls her eyes. "Bella, your pep talks are just so helpful. You know, you should become head cheerleader, or I don't know, a coach!"

I roll my eyes right back at her. "Well, what am I supposed to do when my normally excited and never shy friend just switched roles with me?"

She sighs. "You're right. It's just another school like Forks. I should calm down, thanks Bella."

"No problem, now why don't we actually enter the math room? We're already 5 minutes late."

We had been standing outside of the math room this whole conversation and I was starting to become a bit restless. She nods an amused expression on her face and we walk inside.

The teacher, Mr. Winters, makes us introduce ourselves, much to my dismay, and then we take seats next to each other at the back of the room. The first three classes go like this, and then its lunchtime.

As soon we enter the cafeteria, Calla and I glance at each other, scared. There were no empty tables which meant that we would have to join a group of people, which was never something to look forward to.

Calla takes my hand, phasing into the confident Calla that I know and love and drags me to a table with four people sitting, chatting and laughing.

They look up as we approach them. When we reach the table, despite my protests, Calla smiles sweetly and says, "Hi, I'm Calla Parks, and this is my friend, Isabella Swan. We're new and the recruits from Forks High. We don't really know anyone, so is it okay if we sit here?"

It's silent for a couple of seconds and I'm about to think that this is one of those popular groups that is filled with snobby and rude people, but then a small girl with spiky black hair and beautiful blue eyes speaks up.

"Of course you guys can sit with us! We've heard of new students coming in and I was just so excited to meet them! Now, the opportunity presents itself! Oh, by the way, I'm Alice Brandon."

Calla and I let out audible sighs and take a seat at the end of the table.

Alice says, "We should introduce ourselves."

And with that, she nudges a boy with beautiful blonde locks and bright blue eyes, trying to look secretive but failing. The boy looks alarmed for a second, before realizing what she wants from him.

He smiles warmly at the two of us and says, "Hi, I'm Jasper Whitlock, and I'm this crazy girl's boyfriend. Nice to meet you guys."

That introduction seems to spark off the rest of the introductions, because next, a large, burly boy with curly dark brown hair and sparkling brown eyes says with a booming voice, "Hi, I'm Emmett McCarty. Nice to meet you guys!"

And then a beautiful girl that would lower any girl's self-esteem, with her big blue eyes and silky, wavy blonde hair uncaringly says, "I'm Rosalie Hale. Welcome to Jonson and all that shit."

Alice scolds her, "Rosalie! Can you at least to pretend like you care?"

Rosalie hisses back, "But I don't! And I'm a terrible actress."

Calla and I decide to start eating our home packed lunches instead of listening to the conversation. When we're done, we stand up and I say, "Thanks for letting us sit with you. We're going to head to class now."

Jasper replies, "No problem, you can sit with us whenever you want. Bye!"

And with that, we leave but not before catching Rosalie say, "Jasper, why would you go around offering random people everyday spots at our lunch table!"

Calla and I part at the doors of the cafeteria and she gives me a hug. "Bye Bella, see you during 6th period."

Oh gosh, I was by myself. Calm down, Bella. It's not like you can't go through life without Calla. But that's the truth. I can't. Oh shush and head to Biology before people start to wonder why you're blocking the cafeteria doorway.

I take a few deep breaths but before I could remove myself from the doorway, someone bumps into me and the smell of flowers fills the air. It's overpowering and a bit annoying.

I begin to apologize profusely but a familiar voice snaps, "Can you, like, move out of the doorway. You've been standing there like an idiot for the past few minutes, and we have to get to our classes."

I freeze and look up slowly and there, standing in front of me with her hands on her hips was Tanya; the girl who stole Edward; the girl who made 9th hell for me.

She didn't seem to recognize me because she left without a glance and with an irritated expression on my face. And that's when I began to panic. Sure, I was enlightened with the knowledge that I would be seeing Edward here, but I had completely forgotten that Tanya attended Jonson as well.

I walk to Biology in a dazed manner, and a million thoughts running through my head. Was coming to Jonson really worth it? Did I really want to see Edward and Tanya cuddling every day for the rest of the school year?

Before I know it, I'm in Biology and the teacher, Ms. Lewis, is waiting for me to introduce myself to the class.

I murmur, "Hi, I'm Bella Swan, and I just transferred from Forks High."

She seems content with my introduction because she answers, "Wonderful meeting you Bella. Why don't you take a seat next to Mr. Cullen? You'll be lab partners with him for the rest of the year, so you guys can get acquainted if you'd like."

Wait a second… Mr. Cullen? I turn to confirm my fears and I'm met with a pair of emerald green eyes, staring right back at me.

Oh, sweet, sweet revenge, here I come.

**Ok, so there it is: Chap. 7 of this story. I hope you guys liked it, and if you have the time, please review! They mean the world to me!**


	8. New Friends: Silver, Old Friends: Gold

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, but I do own a messy room that I should be cleaning up but instead, I'm procrastinating by writing up this chapter. **

**I would like to extend a thank you to all of my reviewers and supporters! Your reviews make my day and encourage me to write more. I can't believe we reached 20 reviews! Thanks once again **

**This chapter is in Edward's POV and is basically a retelling of the last chapter, but from his point of view. **

**Quote of the Day: "The only thing that should surprise us is that there are still some things that can surprise us."**

**~ Francois de La Rochefoucauld**

Chapter 8: New Friends Are Silver; Old Friends Are Gold

Edward's POV-

As soon as I walk into the school today, I hear murmuring going around the hallway. I'm a curious person, but before I can ask Tyler or Mike what was going on, Tanya struts up to me and wraps her arms around my neck. She leans in and kisses me full on. I eagerly reciprocate and soon, she pulls away from me, gasping for breath.

She pulls me close to her side and we walk to my locker.

"Edward, the Valentine's Day dance is coming up soon…"

Oh, right. The dance _was _coming up soon. And I had forgotten to ask Tanya to it. I guess I had just automatically assumed that she knew that we were going together. Girls, they just wanted romance and drama out of everything.

I sigh and then ask in a bored tone, "Tanya, do you want to go to the dance with me?"

She pouts. "Edward, are you really going to ask me to a dance on a day of love like… that?"

I roll my eyes. She may be pretty and smart, but she sure was a handful to take care of… And clingy. We've been dating since the summer before 9th grade and at first; she was fun and exciting to hang out with. However, towards the end of 9th grade, she began to act jealous and clingy. If I talked to any other girl, even Victoria, her close friend, she would glare at the girl and be outright rude.

And in the summer, if I missed one call, she would scream at me during our next phone conversation. It was becoming tiring to stay with her. But I held off on ending our relationship. Because sometimes, the old Tanya that I used to know would peek out.

I answer her with an exasperated attitude, "Tanya, what do you want me to do? Do you want me to announce it over the loudspeaker or stand on a cafeteria table during lunch and scream it out to the whole world?"

She looks at me with a contempt expression on her face. "Exactly, now you're in the romantic spirit Eddie!"

I groan. "Tanya, I was kidding. And don't call me Eddie. Why can't you just accept my offer without making a huge deal out of how I asked you?"

She frowns. "Fine, but for the 10th grade dance at the end of the year, can you ask me with more effort and be a little bit more romantic?"

I nod but inside, I'm thinking, 'How do you know I'm even going to ask by then?'

I ask her, thinking back to the murmurs still floating around the hallway, "Tanya, do you know what's going on?"

She answers in an 'I could care less' tone, "Apparently, there are two new students coming in from a really bad school. They got recruited based on their singing and dancing in a competition, and for some reason, everyone's talking about it. Anyway, want to head to gym early so I'll have time to fix up my makeup in the girl's locker room?"

I sigh. Of course. Whatever, it's not like I had anything else to do. As we leave the hallway, backs turned, the door opens and everything becomes silent, but I don't bother turning around to see what happened.

Its lunchtime and I'm not in the cafeteria like I should be. Instead, I'm in the music room, practicing playing piano for the upcoming spring concert. I've been practicing immensely for the past few months and I'd be practicing later during study hall, 7th period, excused from class, of course.

After I'm done practicing, I head to Biology, hungry but satisfied with practice. I walk inside of the room and head to the back of the room to sit at my table. We have an odd number of students so I didn't have a lab partner, but that was fine because what we were learning right now was exceptionally easy.

I put on my headphones and lean back in my seat, waiting for class to start. Soon, the room fills up and Ms. Lewis closes the door, signaling the beginning of class. I sit up and take out my headphones.

But before Ms. Lewis could start the lesson, the door opens softly and a girl walks in, looking dazed.

At first I don't recognize her. I just concentrate on her looks, as all guys do. She's pretty with chocolate, wavy, long brown hair and big, sparkling brown eyes. She's pale and has a nice body. But then, I recognize a feature that I would recognize anywhere, no matter how long ago I saw it.

The one scar above her right eyebrow that she got from falling off the library seat during one of our tutoring sessions. And then, I look at her closely.

Bella Swan: my ex best friend. I had forgotten about her but now, all the memories started to pile up. She had called me all the time, but I had been so absorbed with Tanya and then this new school that I had taken to the habit of ignoring her and trying to forget all of my past experiences. And then I got a new cell phone during the middle of the 9th grade and hadn't bothered trying to contact her to tell her of my new cell number.

She didn't look one bit like she used to look like. She was almost unrecognizable, save the scar. She was so much prettier and much more noticeable. She had changed so much…

And suddenly, I begin to feel really guilty. I should've answered. Didn't the saying go: "Make new friends, but keep the old; those are silver, these are gold"?

I'm pulled from my thoughts when Bella introduces herself to the class. She obviously didn't see me yet. I slink down a bit in my seat but I'm still intensely staring at her.

"Hi, I'm Bella Swan, and I just transferred from Forks High."

I was right.

And then Ms. Lewis says something that makes me want to run and hide, "Wonderful meeting you Bella. Why don't you take a seat next to Mr. Cullen? You'll be lab partners with him for the rest of the year, so you guys can get acquainted if you'd like."

And then Bella looks straight at me, recognition clear on her face.

And then she smiles.

**Okay, that was it! I'm sorry if it was a bit of a filler, but I thought you might want to catch up with Edward, and see what's going on with him and Tanya. Plus, I wanted to show his side of his first meeting with Bella since summer of 8****th**** grade. **

**If you have the time, please review! Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed!**


	9. Failed Revenge

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight but I do own an infatuation for all fanfictions with the pairing: Alice/Jasper right now. If you wrote or read stories with Alice/Jasper, tell me the title and I'll check it out. If it's yours, I'll definitely leave a review **

**Quote of the Day: "****Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game.****"**

**Michael Jordan**

**If any of you have great quotes that you're inspired by, I'll post it in any of my future chapters, regardless of whether or not they're related to the chapter.**

**And here we go!**

Chapter 9:

Bella's POV-

After getting over my shock and then sinister excitement, I walk to the back of the room, where Edward's situated. I take a seat next to him and take out my Biology supplies.

He whispers, "You remember everything, I'm assuming? And you didn't just forget who I am, what I did, and what a jerk I am?"

I look up at him and smirk. "Nope, but nice try."

He winces. "Does it help if I say that I'm incredibly sorry and that I regret it all?"

I shake my head. "Nope, but once again, nice try."

He replies with a sigh, "C'mon Bella. That was more than a year ago. Can't we just be friends now that we're in the same school?"

I give him a sigh of my own, gusty and sad. "Edward, you hurt me more than you can imagine. To you, it's just: 'Oops, I forgot to communicate with my friend and ignored her calls for a year to go date some bimbo. But now that she's here, right next to me, everything should be fine and we'll be as close as we were then!' But for me… it was just sad. I would literally call you every day in the beginning and middle of ninth grade, hoping that you'd pick up. You never did. And I'd sit by my phone, hoping that you'd call. And the only time you did was to inform me that you wouldn't be seeing me on Thanksgiving Day because you'd be with Tanya. You didn't even wish me a Merry Christmas or a Happy Birthday this year OR last year! How'd you think I felt? I felt abandoned and hurt, okay?"

By the end of my little monologue, I was breathing in and out angrily and tears were pooling at the bottom of my eyes. To avoid further embarrassment, I turn around and pretend to look absorbed by what the teacher was saying.

So much for sweet, sweet revenge. I had planned to act like I didn't care and that I had forgotten everything, but now that I was actually in the moment, my closed wounds had opened up, and I had just poured out my soul to him. Great, just great. The jerk didn't deserve to see how much his disappearance in my life had affected me.

I feel a hand pull me around and soon, I'm facing Edward. He looks upset and guilty, but the feeling that's most prominent in his eyes is pity. That's what makes me snap. I hate being pitied and being pitied by Edward? Well, that was just the last straw.

I jerk out of the way and ferociously whisper, "Don't touch me, and don't even think about trying to explain yourself because I won't hear it! I had moved on from you and I refuse to interact with you anymore."

He looks amused at my words, which was NOT my intention. "Bella, we're lab partners. You kind of have to interact with me. And I think I deserve to explain myself."

I decide to let him try and explain myself. It would entertain me for sure. "Fine, go ahead, try and explain yourself."

He looks surprised at my consent and opens his mouth to launch into whatever excuse he has but then closes it just as quickly. A bewildered look fills his face.

"I… I don't have an explanation."

I knew it. The idiot just decided that he was too good for me and left me just like that. And now that I was as smart as him and prettier, he decided I was good enough to try and friend me again.

Uh, uh, not happening. I smile an overly sweet smile at him and mutter, "Of course not. You did what you did because you're you."

I turn around in my seat and begin to seriously listen to Ms. Lewis.

Soon, class is over and I pack up and rush out of the class as quickly as I can to avoid further conversation with Edward. I reach 6th period class in record time and see that Calla had saved a seat for me. I immediately rush over and grab a seat. This class was health and thus not very important.

She tells me with an excited expression on her face, "Alice Brandon was in my class for 5th period and she told me that a Valentine's Day Dance was coming up! Isn't that so exciting? It's this Friday and we probably won't have enough time to find people to be our dates but we can go with her and her little group that we met in the cafeteria."

I nod impatiently and reply, "That sounds great and all but I've got bigger problems. Edward Cullen is in my Biology class!"

She pales visibly. "The infamous Edward Cullen? The jerk, the idiot, and every other bad name that you can think of?"

I nod, gulping. She seems to realize that she should probably comfort me rather than hyperventilate, herself, because she says in an overly cheerful voice, "But you managed to show him that you completely moved on, right? You just threw him a big smirk and left him alone, right?"

I look down miserably at my hands. "Well, towards the end of our interaction I did, but at first, I kind of just broke down and spilled about how hurt I was and how much I longed for him to talk to me in the beginning of the 9th grade."

Calla sighs. "Oh, Bella, that wasn't the plan."

I protest, "Yeah, I know, but it was just so hard to not let my emotions go when I saw him!"

She nods. "Yeah, I can imagine, but the next time you see him, you have to act completely over him and cool, deal?"

"Deal, anyway, what is this I hear about a dance?"

I wasn't actually interested with the dance but it seemed to be the only thing that would take Calla's mind off of my failure to stick with my original plan.

Soon, health is over and it's time for the school wide study hall, in which people did nothing educational and mainly socialized with each other. However, some people managed to excuse themselves from their study hall classroom to take part in extra activities, which is what Calla and I did.

We were going to try out for the upcoming spring concert in May. We would be trying out to be in the chorus and today, during study hall, in the music room, we would be privately auditioning for the music teacher, Mr. Todd.

Calla and I hurry to the music room, excited but nervous. We enter and when I see who's there, my knees almost buckle.

Because, sitting right there, in all of his god-like glory, on a piano bench, his ivory fingers gliding across the keys gracefully, his face set in a composed, peaceful mask, playing a gorgeous, melodic tune, is Edward.

**I know, it seems really short, but I promise you that it's over 1,000 words like all of my chapters. I will be updating soon (hopefully) and if I don't, you may all virtually a. threaten, b. kill or c. drastically injure me.**

**Thanks for all of the support and although I'd like to list all of my reviewers here, I'm tired and would probably begin listing my favorite fruit instead in my dazed tiredness. Thanks again!**


	10. His Charisma is Fatal

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight but I do own an iTunes gift card. Hooray, going to go buy some songs!**

**Quote of the Day: "****"I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as heck don't deserve me at my best."**

**~ Marilyn Monroe**

The world must be conspiring against me. I mean, seriously. Edward is literally being pushed against me in every single class that I actually enjoy. Maybe I could just slowly back out of the room, wish Calla good luck, and then go back to study hall.

I look at Calla, trying to figure out how mad she would be if I did such a thing. She's currently gaping at Edward, looking more like a fish than anything. I slowly begin to backpedal out of the room but she whispers, "Bella, if you take one step out of this room, I'll chop your head off when you're sleeping."

I slowly forward pedal so I'm standing next to her again. Edward finally notices the two of us and gets up from the piano bench to walk over to us.

"Fancy meeting you here, Bella," he smirks.

I answer, teeth gritted, "What are you doing here, Edward. We're supposed to be getting a private audition with the music teacher."

He smiles widely. "Oh, so Mr. Todd was talking about you two when he said I could audition the newcomers for him."

Oh no. Please tell me that this is not what I think it is.

The next words that come out of his mouth prove that it is what I think it is. "Mr. Todd has a field trip to chaperone as of right now for the senior class' music history class. And so he requested that I take care of the auditions of the two new girls."

Shoot.

Calla, confident Calla, says in a hostile tone, "Okay, cool. Want to start?"

He nods and says, "May I ask for your two full names?

He already knew my full name, the jerk.

I bitterly reply, "Isabella Marie Swan, but please, call me Bella."

Calla mutters in the same tone as I, "Calla Parks."

He nods and says, "Are you two a duet or solo?"

Calla replies, "We got here through a duet but we'll be auditioning solo."

"Then why don't you go first, Calla," Edward says.

She nods and starts singing Somewhere Over the Rainbow. The thing about Calla is that her voice alone can make you fall in love with her. She has an extremely unique voice, soft and pure. When she sings, her face lights up and she looks like an angel. And judging from Edward's face expression, he's entranced.

I feel a pang in my heart. Is that… jealousy?

No, no way. I cannot be jealous. I hate Edward. He hurt me and I hate him.

Soon, Calla's done and Edward still looks to be in a daze.

I snap at him, "It's my turn. Can you at least pretend like you're going to listen?"

He wakes up from his daze and shakes his head roughly. He clears his throat and replies, "Yeah, sure."

Now, people say that my voice is better than Calla's. I never get why they say that. I mean, it's obvious that hers is better. While her voice is angelic, my voice is… Okay, it might be better if I describe it another way.

Imagine the outcome if you combined Nanna Bryndis Hilmarsdottir's voice, Adele's voice, and just a teeny bit of Pink's voice. That's like my voice. Yes, I know it's extremely difficult to conjure up in your mind, but that's the only way I can think to describe it.

I begin to sing. I had chosen a not very classic song, unlike Calla's song. I chose Pumped Up Kicks and changed it up a bit.

When I'm done, I look up from the place I chose to look at the whole duration of the song: the ground. First I look towards Calla, who has an encouraging expression on her face. And then I look towards Edward, whose mouth is wide open.

He closes his mouth quickly when he catches me looking. "Umm, that's probably the most unique voice I've ever heard."

I smirk. Perfect. I showed him that I was better than the stupid girl who fell for his charm and charisma a year ago.

He blinks, unable to say more. I raise my eyebrows.

"So… did Calla and I make it?"

He locks his eyes onto mine. Those emerald eyes. Dark green on the inside ring and then slowly fading into a lighter green on the outside. Filled with emotion; I can't place what emotion, but it's strong. I almost blush but remind myself that I'm not that kind of person anymore.

"Yes, you guys both made it. Official practice is on Friday's study hall. Any other study hall, you can come here and practice. Mr. Todd will assign you of which row you will be singing in and in this song, there are 5 songs we'll be performing. I mean, I don't sing but I play the piano accompaniment to every song. Actually, I should describe the concert to you two."

He sits down on the edge of his piano bench seat and continues, "Okay, so the spring concert is on May 21 and this concert is a little bit different than the other concerts. For this one, the orchestra and chorus are combining themselves and presenting together. While the chorus sings, the orchestra will be accompanying the singing. Now for solos: There will be one soloist per song. And I think that's it."

I nod and say reluctantly, "Thanks Edward, Calla and I are going to go to our eighth period class now."

I grab her hand and drag her along briskly.

As soon we get outside I ask, "That was your first time seeing him. What's your impression?"

She blushes and mumbles, "He's fine."

Hmm, curious behavior. I ask, suspicious, "Calla, what are you hiding from me?"

She replies hastily, "Nothing Bella, why would you suspect that?"

I narrow my eyes at her. "Calla, I'm your friend, you know you can tell me anything?"

Her face turns red. "Bella, I'm so sorry."

And that's when it clicks. I suddenly know why she's apologizing; why she's blushing.

No, no, no. Please, no. Not her too.

**Okay, so I'm going to leave it there. I guess it's sort of a cliffy but not really. Can anyone guess why Calla's apologizing? What Bella manages to figure out towards the end? I'll dedicate this chapter to the first person who manages to guess it.**

**Thanks for all of your support of me and this story. **

**Until next chapter, Dayjune**


	11. I Don't Know Why I Feel This Way

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. SM does.**

**This chapter is dedicated to: Alexa Twilight, fangirlingforever90, Alexitacanada, Tsaga99, and BeverlyMarie.**

**I know I said I would dedicate to the first who answered, which would be Alexa Twilight, but all of your reviews were nice and you all took the time to review, so I'm dedicating this to everyone.**

**To everyone: It's an Edward/Bella story. No worries. **

**Quote of the Day: The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing... not healing, not curing... that is a friend who cares.**

**~ Henri Nouwen**

I'm the type of person that avoids the problem at hand for a while until it's so obvious that it's impossible to play dumb.

So, I act like I truly don't know and ask, "Why are you sorry?"

She looks at me, eyes wide. "You seriously can't figure it out?"

I sigh. It's time to let down the "unaware" façade.

"Calla, you like Edward, right?"

She sighs. "I really tried not to. I knew that he hurt you but when I saw him playing the piano, I just… I just… couldn't help it."

I didn't know how to answer. I wasn't mad. I couldn't ever be mad at Calla, who was there for me every single step of the way. And who was I to tell her who she could like and who she couldn't like? Besides, it's not like Edward and I were dating. It's not like we ever dated. So, Calla could date him if she wanted.

_But Bella, he hurt you. What if he hurts her?_

_ Oh shush, you're not actually concerned. Admit it. You're saying that because you like him._

_ Wait, what? He freaking hurt me. Of course I don't like him._

I decide it's time to reply to Calla, who looks as if she's about to begin hyperventilating. "Calla, you can't help who you like. And I'm not one to tell you whether or not it's right to like someone. So, I'm not mad or sad or anything negative."

She smiles in relief and hugs me and replies, "But don't worry Bella. It's not like he would ever like me. This will be more of a one sided crush. And, he's already dating Tanya, you told me."

I scold her, "Don't have such low self-esteem. You're pretty, smart, and witty. Plus, you have a great voice. I would be surprised if he didn't like you. And even if he is dating Tanya, things can change."

She laughs but her forehead creases in worry. "So you're sure that you don't like Edward? And that if he were ever to like me, and if he and Tanya broke up, we could date without you being mad at me?"

_No. _"Of course."

She glances up at the clock and gasps. "C'mon Bella, let's head to our classes. We're 5 minutes late!"

We rush to our classes, leaving each other with a hug.

Soon, it's the end of the day and Charlie's waiting outside to pick Calla and I up. I hadn't turned 16 yet so I didn't have my driver's license. In fact, Calla didn't either. Her birthday was in June.

Calla and I climb into Charlie's truck and he greets us.

"Hey dad, how was work?"

"It was fine Bells, how about school?"

"It was good, Calla and I got into chorus."

"That's wonderful. Great job," he replies.

And that's the gist of our conversation. We're both quiet people so slap us together and you'll get a very short discussion.

When it becomes fully silent, Calla decides she can't take it and she begins to rant about the dance. "Bella, we have to go shopping for dresses. I mean, this will be our first dance at Jonson. We have to make it special."

I sigh. "Calla, I'm pretty sure I have a dress at home."

She whines, "Bella, don't be like that. You can't make me dress shop all by myself. That's just cruel."

She does her famous puppy dog face, her bottom lip quivering. I groan and finally give in. She squeals happily and immediately begins mumbling plans to herself.

Soon, we reach our neighborhood and drop Calla off.

When we get to the house, I fall asleep, exhausted from the long day. Thankfully, I don't have any homework.

The next day, at lunch, Calla and I sit at the table we sat at yesterday. Of course, when we sit down, Rosalie shoots us a glare.

Alice asks, "So, are you guys going to the dance this Friday?"

I groan. "Is this the only thing that people are talking about?"

Alice nods and replies, "At Jonson, dances are pretty big."

I sigh. The good thing about Forks High: dances were always sucky so no one really cared about them.

Alice continues, "Anyway, Rosalie and I are going dress shopping at Port Angeles tomorrow, Wednesday. You guys want to come?"

I hear a groan and look towards the source. It's Rosalie, as expected.

She glares at Alice. "C'mon Alice. Do we have to invite them to everything?"

Alice gives Rosalie an even scarier glare and Rosalie backs down, pouting. Alice turns back to us and smiles sweetly.

"So?"

Calla enthusiastically replies, "Sure, Bella and I would love to come! We were planning to go by ourselves but this is another way to do it. Anyway, I have a lurking question on my mind. Is it considered not cool to not have dates because Bella and I are new and don't have dates."

"It's not 'not cool' but it's obviously better to have dates," Alice replies.

And then she looks towards me. "Bella, I think Mike Newton may like you."

I groan. "No matching up, please! If you guys want dates, then that's your decision, but I am not bringing one. And about that shopping trip, well, I already have a dress at home…"

Alice cuts me off, "No, Bella. Don't even say it. I'm not going to make you find a date, but you have to come with us. You don't even have a choice."

I sigh and sulkily eat my ham and egg sandwich.

This was going to be an incredibly long week.

Alice, Rosalie, Calla and I were currently at the mall in Port Angeles. We had just arrived at the only store it had for prom dresses and Alice already had 5 dresses in tow. I decided to get this over with quickly and pick out a dress. I look around but everything was either too skimpy or too bright in color.

Suddenly, Alice came bouncing over to me, holding a beautiful dress.

"Bella, I found a perfect dress for you! Look at this! Isn't it absolutely gorgeous? Plus, it's reasonably priced!" She said.

I grab it and go to the dressing room to try it on. I put it on and look in the mirror.

It was, indeed, "absolutely gorgeous". It was a mint color and it clung to my body but not in a slutty way. It only had one strap and that strap was bedazzled with diamonds. It was simple, but my style.

I change back to my original clothes and announce, "I picked my dress."

"Yay, now you're done. Why don't you go pick out shoes, Bella?" Alice asks.

I shake my head. "I'll wait for you guys."

She nods and goes into the dressing room with her outfit. Rosalie and Calla were also in dressing rooms.

Alice asks through the dressing room door, "Guys, did you hear? Edward and Tanya are going to the dance together. I mean, that was expected, of course, considering their relationship, but apparently, Edward asked Tanya in the least romantic way possible and Tanya got a bit sulky."

Gosh, no. We are not talking about Edward. This shopping trip will not be the Edward and Tanya show.

I quickly reply before anyone else could, "That's great and all. So, does anyone want me to see their dresses on them?"

I get back a jumble of "Not yet's" and one "No" that most likely came from Rosalie. Alice continues about Edward, much to my dismay, "Tanya told me she's upset with Edward because he never eats with her at lunch and never takes her out anymore. But it's obvious that Edward practices for the music concert during lunch. He's really dedicated. Hopefully, he'll begin to sit in the cafeteria at lunch again, instead of being cooped up in the music room, because then, Tanya would stop complaining my ear off during English class."

I sigh. The Edward and Tanya show was obviously running overtime.

I block out the sound of Alice's voice and just lean back in my chair to relax. The first person to come out of her dressing room to show me her outfit is Alice. She's wearing a black, sparkly dress that looks a lot like a tutu. It's strapless and the bodice is covered with sparkly veil material. It looks amazing on her.

I tell her, "It looks fantastic. Black is definitely your color."

She beams and ducks back into her dressing room to change back. Then, Calla comes out. She's wearing a strapped, violet, long, silky dress. It's a bit more complicated than mine, with intricate white patterns running through the dress. On the patterns are little silver sequins.

"It's beautiful, Calla. That's the one you should get," I tell her.

Of course Rosalie didn't want to show me her dress, claiming that she liked her dress, and didn't need feedback. Whatever, she was so beautiful that a sack would look good on her.

We check out our dresses and head to the shoe department. Like the quick shopper that I am, I am once again the first person done. I couldn't find mint colored shoes and so I chose metallic silver high heels. They're high but not too high.

Alice finds black, sparkly high heels, Calla finds dark purple high heels, and Rosalie finds red high heels, meaning she probably got a red dress.

We check out our shoes, and that is our shopping trip.

It was finally Friday. Thursday had been incredibly uneventful, and during all my Biology classes, I had gotten used to ignoring Edward who continuously tried to get me to look at him or respond to him. The only times I talked to him were to work on labs and even to my own ears, I sounded incredibly falsely cheerful.

I had all of my attire in my locker, as well as the rest of the school. The school was buzzing with excitement and everyone was on a high.

It was lunchtime and Calla and I had gotten used to sitting with Alice, Rosalie, Jasper and Edward.

Suddenly, Alice muttered, "Finally."

I looked towards the door when everything got quiet. Edward Cullen waked through the door with Tanya in two. The two looked like they just stepped out of a magazine. Literally, I could imagine their hair blowing around, while they were walking in slow motion.

They take a seat at the center of the table and all talking continues. Alice immediately begins to talk with everyone at the table again but I'm still staring at Edward and Tanya out of corner of my eye. I can see Tanya snuggling into Edward's side. He kisses her lightly on the mouth and then begins to eat.

I turn away quickly. It hurts and I don't know why.

**The concert rehearsal and the dance are next chapter!**

**Thanks to all who read, review, or alert this story! If you have the time, please review! Thanks, once again.**


	12. The Dance

**Hi again, sorry about the late update. I've been extremely busy even though it's summer break.**

**Just some facts that you may want to know:**

**Bella, Calla, Edward, Alice, Jasper, Tanya, Emmett, and Rosalie are all sophomores. So, basically, they're all sophomores.**

**And something else: I kind of cut out the concert rehearsal because it would be boring to read in my opinion.**

**Ok, here we go!**

**Quote of the Day: "****To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.****"****  
****Lewis B. Smedes**

Chapter 12: The Dance

Concert rehearsal went well. Edward told Mr. Todd that Calla and I were both good enough to be part of the chorus but Mr. Todd still made us sing in front of everyone. Let's just say that he was pleasantly surprised and he put us both in the front row, and the two of us each got a solo.

I was also pleasantly surprised when I saw that Tanya was in the chorus. It turns out that she's an amazing singer and also received a solo. She didn't recognize me from all those years ago and just saw me as someone to be jealous of and a competitor. She literally glared at me all through the rehearsal. I felt like slapping her silly.

Well, now, school is over and everyone's rushing home to get ready. Meanwhile, Alice, Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper, Calla, and I decided we would get ready in the school bathrooms so we wouldn't be rushed to get ready.

Alice meets us at our lockers with the rest of the group and the girls and boys split up. It seems that we were the only ones with the idea of changing in the bathroom over our own homes, because the bathroom is empty.

Alice excitedly squeals, "Yay, we have the whole bathroom to ourselves! Let's get to work!"

I groan because I know I'm in for a round of Bella Barbie.

Alice commands everyone, "Get your dresses on and all accessories, as well as shoes. Then, we'll work on our makeup and hair. Oh, and Bella, I think I'll do your makeup for you. The rest of us are capable."

I pretend to look insulted. "Are you saying that I'm bad at putting makeup on? Because I am absolutely amazing."

She snorts. "Yeah, right Bella. Just let me take care of it."

I humph and go to a stall with my outfit and extras. After I'm done changing, I walk outside to find that everyone was already done and working on themselves.

Rosalie smirks. "Bella, you took forever. Did your legs get caught in the armholes in your dress?"

Confused, I ask, "Um, no, why would you ask that?"

She clears her throat. "No particular reason."

I raise my eyebrows. "Spill, Rosalie."

"Okay, okay! So what. It was one time that it happened to me and let me just say that those particular armholes were huge. As big as the actual hole in which I step through to put on the dress." She says defensively.

I giggle. "Gosh, I can't imagine the cool and collected Rosalie doing something like that."

She stiffens. "Whatever Bella, just change. You're, like, five minutes behind everyone else."

I roll my eyes and decide to work on my hair because Alice would be working on my makeup.

I put it up into a messy bun with some strands hanging out. I clip a mint colored hairclip I found at the mall the other day, into the bun so that it sparkles brightly, enhancing the bun.

Alice prances towards me, looking beautiful. "Wow, Alice, you look great!"

"Thanks Bella, now let's get to work on your makeup. Love the hair, by the way."

I give in and soon, everyone's done.

We walk out and put our stuff in our lockers to take home tomorrow. Then, we meet Emmett and Jasper who had been waiting impatiently in front of the dance doors. Music is loudly pulsing and colored lights flash, making the hallway seem incredibly dull.

Emmett complains, "Why do girls take forever to get themselves ready, huh? Jeez, just slap some colors onto your face and clip your hair up."

Rosalie scowls. "Emmett, makeup is an art. If it weren't for makeup, men would hate life, okay?"

He backs off. "Okay, sure Rosie."

She rolls her eyes and hooks his arm with hers. We give the ticket collector our tickets and walk in.

My first impression of the decorating is: Wow, lots of red. Lots of pink.

My second impression is: Am I in Valentine's Day world?

My third impression is: Wow, Forks High's dances pale in comparison. Back there, for the Valentine's Day dances, all they did was color all of the drinks pink and red, and then tape tacky hearts on the walls. And the DJ would play the music directly from his/her phone and it would be incredibly low. Everyone would have to dance right next to the DJ in order to hear the music. And, this is a downer, a boy named Kevin, who absolutely loved Star Wars and Harry Potter, only had this type of music on his phone, so all through the dance, Harry Potter and Star Wars would be on our minds.

My fourth impression is: I'm not a party girl. I now know this.

But apparently Calla is because she screams over the loud music, "This is amazing! Bella, isn't this so much better than Forks' dances?"

I nod in agreement, knowing that my soft voice wouldn't get me anywhere when it comes to communicating. Alice and Rosalie had left us alone to dance with their other halves and it was already boring, and we weren't even five minutes into the dance.

Finally, something exciting happens and a handsome boy with brown hair and icy blue eyes comes up to Calla and asks in a refreshing, cool voice, "Would you like to dance with me?"

She looks at me, silently asking if it was okay and I nod. She replies, "Ok, sure. I'm Calla by the way."

He responds, looking relieved, "I'm Grayson."

And then they leave. I don't feel lonely though. I thought I would but all I feel is bored still. Who knew dances could be so boring?

I'm about to sit down with the rest of the bored girls when someone touches my shoulder and spins me around. I turn around to meet a pair of gray eyes. I step back and see he has red hair. Kind of like Edward's hair but more of a complete red haired guy.

He's taller than me so when she speaks I have to look up.

He says, looking a bit nervous, "Hey, I'm Landon. Do you want to dance with me?"

I smile. He looked nice enough. "Ok, sure. I'm Bella."

He takes my hand and we walk out to the dance floor. A slow song's playing and he turns out to be a decent dancer. And I only step on his feet once, and he only laughed when that happened. Soon, the dance is over, and he asks me, "Do you want to dance some more?"

I look back and see Calla still dancing so I nod. But before we can continue dancing, someone cuts in and asks in a voice I'll never forget, "May I cut in?"

Landon nods, obviously intimidated by Edward and walks away but not before winking at me and waving. Edward looks down at me and asks, "May I?"

I glare. "Nope."

"C'mon, Bella. You're holding a grudge on something that happened all those years ago."

"To you it was nothing. To me, it was losing a friend. Besides, I just don't like you and that's why I'm rejecting you."

"Sure, that's why you're rejecting me. And it's totally not because of the reason I brought up."

I scowl. "Oh, shush. Just leave me alone, okay Edward? I just want to forget about you. And besides, shouldn't you be getting back to your girlfriend, Tanya?"

He replies, rolling his eyes, "She could be really annoying sometimes. I just need a bit of time away from her."

I reply, sarcastically, "Oh, and all those years ago, you were literally following her every step of the way like a puppy. And now it's her, huh?"

"People change Bella, and she's just a perfect example. She used to be intriguing, sweet, and exciting. But now, she's clingy, annoying, and the worst cliché of a bad girlfriend that one could possibly get." He explains.

"So, are you going to break up with her?" I ask.

"I might. But I don't know. I'm hoping that the old Tanya is still there. But my relationship problems are not the problem here. The problem here is that we lost the friendship that we used to have," he says.

I say pointedly, "And it's because of you, may I add."

He rolls his eyes. "That's true but also beside the point. The reason I cut in was because I want to say that I'm sorry. I'm sincerely, truly sorry, Bella. And if you would accept the apology, that'd be great. Because you were one of the best friends I ever had."

I don't know what to do. I was so intent on forgetting about him and moving on, but when he puts it that way, it's so hard not to consider forgiving him. He just looks so honest at this moment and like he really does want to be friends with me. I wanted to be more, but I guess it's okay to be just friends.

Yet… "I'm sorry Edward, but I made my own friends here and I'm not going to give them up. And let's not forget Calla, who comforted me and was there for me every step of the way. You're forgiven, so don't feel burdened anymore, but it doesn't mean we're going to hang out anymore. I have my own life now."

He stares at me, his green eyes sad and penetrating my own brown eyes.

"Bella, you and I being friends doesn't pull you away from your new friends. It just means that you divide your time. And I could join you and your friends as times as well."

"But you're popular here, and I know that if you joined us, Tanya and the rest of her posse would be rude to us when you're not there, and I can't allow that. You're meant to be with her and your group. Don't you see Edward? This may sound just a bit dramatic, but we're from different worlds. And it always has been that way. Don't you remember when we first met in 7th grade? When you were a genius and I was not. And you were so popular and people literally laughed at me as I walked by? Well it's exactly the way it is now. And it's not going to change anytime soon. Sure, I became smarter, but it doesn't change the fact that you belong with them and I belong somewhere else," I tell him.

He replies, "Can't you see yourself Bella? You're just as pretty as Tanya, if not more. And you did change, so people won't act like towards you anymore. We're in the same world now," he says.

I knew it. "I knew it, Edward. The only reason you're talking to me is because I changed into someone that fits your requirements for a friend. If I was still ugly, or just plain, you wouldn't even be here anymore. You know what, Edward? Just don't talk to me anymore."

I turn around to walk away but he grabs my hand and spins me around.

"Bella, think about it okay? Am I really that kind of person? Am I? Think back. And think about what I said."

And then he walks away, leaving me seething, yet miserable.

I walk out of the gym quickly and sit down on a chair outside the gym.

What should I do?

**Okay, so there was a lot of dialogue in that chapter and just a bit of drama.**

**Thanks for reading! I have a bit of writer's block on what to write about next, so it might take a while.**


	13. Doesn't Anyone Own An Umbrella?

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight but I do own a fluffy blanket that I love.**

**Quote of the Day: "****Gestures, in love, are incomparably more attractive, effective and valuable than words.****"**

**Francois Rabelais**

**Chapter 13- Doesn't Anyone Own An Umbrella?**

Finally: Saturday. The day that I'm in love with right now. This first week at school has been chaotic, emotional, and just crazy. Today, I was going to relax and forget about Edward.

I grab a book and make some hot chocolate. It was February, and still not warm. Rain was pouring outside and I was sitting in a soft, large rocking chair, so everything felt perfect right now.

I begin reading, but I'm interrupted when my phone rings. Groaning, I reach out and grab the phone. I should've known that a peaceful day was too good to be true.

I say, "Swan residence, may I ask who this is?"

"It's Calla. Where's your phone, Bella? I tried calling you all of yesterday and all of this morning," Calla asks.

"Oh, well, I was planning on just relaxing today, so I turned off my cell. What'd you want to talk to me about?" I question.

"Well, on the ride home yesterday, you seemed really distant, sad, and torn," she replies, sounding concerned.

Should I tell her? Maybe she could help me.

"Come over, and I'll tell you everything," I tell her.

She inquires, "Is anyone home?"

"No, Renee is at a book club meeting and Charlie's at the station." I reply.

"Okay, I'll be there in a minute." And then she hangs up.

I wait for her patiently, setting down my book, knowing that I wasn't going to get anywhere in it. Soon, I hear the doorbell ringing.

I get up and walk over to the door. I open it and there's Calla, wearing pajama pants and a t-shirt that reads NY Giants. I smirk at her outfit choice and she rolls her eyes.

"You called me on short notice. I didn't have time to sift through my closet for an outfit."

"Considering how large your closet is, you shouldn't need to sift through to find an outfit. Just put your hand in for 2 seconds, grab something, and voila! There's an outfit, all ready for you," I tease her lightly.

She replies, "Hey, I came over here to help you. You can make fun of me, but that wouldn't be so wise."

"Whatever, come on in, you're soaking. Ever hear of an umbrella?"

"Yeah, except my friend called me 1 minute ago, sounding like the saddest person ever, and so I didn't have time to do anything," she replies sarcastically.

"Hey, I didn't ask you to come over immediately. You could've got dressed, found an umbrella and such."

"Could we please continue on from this conversation?" She asks.

I nod and she walks in and takes residence on the carpet. I sit next to her and she takes a deep breath. "Okay. So, Bella. What seems to be the problem here?"

"Well, Edward talked to me yesterday."

"And?" She asks.

"I was dancing with a boy named Landon, and Edward cut in to dance with me. And then he apologized," I reply.

"What" She shrieks.

"Yeah, I know. And he was like, 'We should be friends' and all that. So, I was like, 'You're forgiven, but I can't be friends with you. I have my own friends.' And then he was like, 'We could still be friends.' And then I was like, 'Well, your friends are just rude and I would never want to be associated with them or make my friends be associated with them.' And then he was like, 'They wouldn't be rude to you. You changed. You're smarter, better looking,' and all that. And so I was like, 'So, that's the only reason you're talking to me, huh?' And I was about to walk away when he grabbed me, turned me around and was all like, 'Think about it Bella. Am I really such a bad person?' And he left. So, I ran outside and sat on a bench for the rest of the dance." I explain all in one breathe.

At the end, I'm desperately in need of air and I take one big gulp. I look at Calla to see how she's feeling. No jealousy, surprisingly. Now, that reminds me.

"How was your dance with Grayson?"

She replies, dreamily, "He's handsome, intelligent, sweet and in 10th grade too. But, that's not the point," she develops a serious expression again. "We're here to discuss you, not me. But if the reason why you asked me is because you're afraid I'll be jealous or something, don't worry. I don't think I like Edward anymore. I think that liking him was a one day kind of thing. I was just blinded by his handsomeness so I just lost my grip for a little bit. But I'm back, so don't worry."

I sigh in relief. That way, nothing would be awkward.

"Okay, so what do you think?" I ask her.

"Well, I know you're going to hate me for even saying this, but I think you should be friends with him again. He sounded sincere, and this isn't middle school anymore. We're all mature people and we all learned from our mistakes. Besides, it happened such a long time ago," she says with an apologetic smile on her face.

Hearing it from Edward was one thing. Hearing it from Calla was another. Her saying it made me realize how immature I was being. I was in 10th grade and I was saying things like, "I can't be your friend."

Jeez, Calla was right.

"You're right, Calla. Maybe I should forgive him."

She looks so surprised that it's funny.

"Why do you look so surprised? I have a feeling that I'd been thinking of befriending of for a while, and it's just now that I finally realized it full on," I say in explanation.

She nods, her mouth wide open. "Calla, close your mouth, flies might fly in."

She rolls her eyes, but quickly snaps her mouth shut. She then says, "I'm happy for you, although you were less resistant than I thought."

"I'm an easy girl, what can I say?" I shrug innocently.

She smiles.

I smile, too, because I can finally fully forgive.

It's like a weight has been lifted from my heart. Cliché, but true. I feel so at ease right now.

Now, the problem is figuring out how I want to tell him, when I want to tell him, and if I'm up for the challenge.

Calla left a while ago, and now, it's nighttime. So, today was not as peaceful as I would've hoped it would be, but it was useful.

I get ready for bed and lie down. Charlie wasn't back yet but Renee was. She had actually arrived before, but she was in her room for the whole afternoon.

I'm about to fall asleep, when Renee comes in. She turns on the light and sits down at the foot of my bed. She smiles at me.

"Bella, any interesting boy talk for me?" She asks.

I groan. I should've known what this was going to be about.

"No, mom."

"Oh, c'mon, Bella. You're such a boring teenager. When I was a teenage, life was fun."

"Boys don't necessarily make life fun."

"That's what you're saying now; Bella, but you won't be saying that for long."

"Whatever, mom."

She replies, "Ok, you'll tell me when the time feels right. Goodnight sweetie, sweet dreams."

"Goodnight, mom," I respond.

She turns off the light and then leaves the room, closing the door gently behind her. I'm about to drift off to sleep when I hear a repeating noise.

I get out of my bed quietly and cautiously look around. It wasn't the sound of rain. It was louder, more defined, and annoying. It stops for a moment and I sigh in relief. It must've been my imagination. I tend to be paranoid when I'm alone.

But, contradicting my thoughts, it picks up again. Plink, plink, plink.

Plink, plink, plink.

I look around and finally figure out the source. My window. I walk closer to it and look closely at it. Was it alive? Just kidding. I may be paranoid, but not insane.

Finally, I see that pebbles are being thrown against the window.

I open the window and look down. There, I see… Edward.

No way, this was not happening to me. I wasn't Juliet or some girl character in a romance book. This didn't just happen to normal girls like me. Seriously? A guy throwing rocks against your window to try and get your attention. That was book material, or movie material.

I decide I should stop hyperventilating and actually go downstairs and talk to him before one of my parents go outside to see what's happening, and see a boy outside my window. Now, that would be uncomfortable.

I slip on a coat over my pajamas and walk downstairs. I put on sneakers without socks and head outside, making sure to step over the creak on the porch that everyone steps on.

Edward looks at me and smiles. "You came out!"

"Why wouldn't I?" I ask.

"I don't know. You seemed mad at me during the dance."

"Not mad enough to leave a poor soul in the rain. Come to think of it, you're soaking."

His bronze hair is dripping wet and his clothes are drenched. Once again, seriously? Don't people own umbrellas in this world?

I usher him to the porch, where there's a little area where it's covered from the rain. He looks relieved and I begin to talk. This is the perfect opportunity to tell him that we should be friends.

"Edward-" I begin.

But he cuts me off. "No, Bella let me speak first. I know I said this all before, but I'm going to say it again. Being your friend was great, so please give me a second chance."

I bring up a question that I'd been wondering all day. "Why do you care so much? You could have any person to be your friend and I'm just… Bella."

"No, you're not just Bella. You're the only person that liked me for who I was. Not because I'm rich, intelligent, popular or good looking. Being with you is like a breath of fresh air. Can we put our differences and friends aside just for right now and become friends again?" He asks, pleadingly.

"Sure," I reply easily.

He looks surprised. "What?"

"I said, sure," I reply, amused.

"Why are you forgiving me so easily?" He asks.

"I had a little chat with Calla and she gave me good advice," I reply.

"Wow, thank Calla for me," he says.

I yawn and nod. He looks at me and rushes to say "Go to sleep. I've been a bother. Thanks… for everything."

I reply tiredly, "This was really sweet, Edward. And no problem. Sweet dreams. Be careful."

I then walk back inside and wave once over my shoulder. I would obsess about how thoughtful Edward was, but when you're tired, you can't think correctly.

So, I just plop down on my bed, burrow under the fluffy covers, and close my eyes.

Everything's okay again.

**So, Edward and Bella are together again! Sorry if it seems a bit rushed, but I don't think I could prolong it anymore without dragging the story. The story is not close to over, yet. They're in the friend stage, and they've got to be further than that. **

**Thanks for reading, DJ.**


	14. Party Pranks

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, but I do have writer's block as to what the next chapter will be about. If you have suggestions, please tell me. **

**I'd like to dedicate this chapter to Beverly Marie. You're one of my ****most supportive reviewers, and you rarely miss a chapter to tell me what you think about it. Your reviews always make me smile. Thank you, Beverly Marie, for being the best reader an author could ask for.**

**Quote of the Day: "****There's an easygoing nature that comes with a perspective of things that aren't as important as we make them sometimes.****"**

**~ Marguerite Moreau**

**Chapter 14- Party Pranks**

The nextday, when I tell Calla what happened, she squeals happily. "Oh my gosh, Bella, that's so sweet of him. This is great. Things will be less awkward with a better relationship between the two of you."

"Yeah, I know. Ugh, today's going to be so boring."

"I'd rather have a boring day, rather than a chaotic, dramatic one," she replies.

"True, I actually hope it'll be a boring day."

And it was. It was as boring as a day could get and I loved it.

**Two Months Later:**

Did you ever just sit back and think about life?

Well, that's what I'm doing.

Everything's going well. My grades are decent, I have close friends and two best friends, and I have a perfect boyfriend.

Yes, that's right. I have a boyfriend. His name is Landon McFadden and he's in tenth grade. He was the one who asked me to dance at the Valentine's Dance a couple of months ago. He's charming, kind, and cute.

And yes, I have more than just one best friend now, as well. Of course, I have Calla. And then there's Edward. Yes, the Edward Cullen. You'd think it'd take longer than just two months to rekindle a best friendship, but for us, it was as easy as breathing. After I fully forgave him, we hit it off the next day, and now we're as close as ever.

Calla didn't mind when Edward and I became chummy because she was too distracted with her boyfriend, Grayson, who also asked her to dance two months ago. Plus, she's the one who wanted me to forgive him, so she really couldn't say anything.

And my close friends are as expected: Alice Brandon, Rosalie Hale, Jasper Whitlock, and Emmett McCarty.

And here is the time to think about old friends. Yes, ah, yes. Jacob Black and Angela Weber, my middle school buddies. I doubt they remember me, but I hope they're happy together. From what I remember, they were happy together, at least.

The concert. Yes, the concert is soon. Just in a month.

And then there's the end of year prom coming in two months.

And then there's the end of my sophomore year.

Everything's happening so quickly that life seems like a blur. But it's a good kind of blur. Like the kind of blur you see when you're on an exhilarating roller coaster and you feel that drop in your stomach, and before you know it, the roller coaster is over.

Soon, Landon's going to pick me up to take me over to the party Edward's hosting at his house. Alice and Calla came over to get ready with me. Rosalie still hasn't warmed up to us. She's not rude. It's more like she considers us acquaintances rather than friends.

Alice finishes the final touches on my makeup and claps her hands together at the results.

"Okay, Calla and I are going to go, Bella. We'll meet you at the party. But don't rush." Alice winks at the end of her little farewell.

I blush and look down. "Whatever, Alice. Bye."

"Bye, have fun before the actual fun!" She quips.

I groan at her lame attempt at an innuendo and shoo them out of the room and out of the house. I take one last, final look at myself in the mirror.

My long, brown hair is tied up into a side ponytail and I have silver eye shadow on. I'm wearing a midnight blue shawl over a silver tank top, and black jeans. I have black combat boots and blue, dangly earrings on.

I don't look half bad.

I walk outside and wait for Landon, who pulls up right on time. His red hair has been style into perfection and his grey eyes lighten as soon as they set on me. He's wearing a crisp white shirt, and faded jeans. His black converse sneakers lightly tap on the sidewalk floors as they make their way over to me.

He kisses me gently on the forehead and opens the door for me. Chivalry is not dead, contrary to many beliefs.

He gets into the driver side and we're off. He starts the conversation.

"Bella, you look beautiful, as always," he says.

Of course I had to go and ruin the moment, being the idiot that I am. "Landon, that was so cheesy, no joke."

He smirks. "You just had to ruin the moment, huh?"

Landon and I have similar thoughts. I guess great minds think alike. Just kidding. "Yeah, I'm Bella. What else can you expect?"

"For you to blush," he replies.

I stick out my tongue at him, childishly. "Whatever, Landon. Just because you're cute, doesn't give you permission to be fresh with me."

"Oh, so you think I'm cute, huh?"

"Aw man, I hope I didn't inflate your already too big ego," I say smoothly.

He pretends to look insulted, "Ouch, that hurts."

"Good."

Ah, another typical conversation with Landon: full of heartwarming and sarcastic jokes. And a lot of compliments, as you can see.

Soon, we reach the house. I hop out of the car and Landon rushes to fall into step with me. We would've rang the doorbell, but the door was slightly ajar, letting loud music flow into the forest that surrounded the house. Good thing there weren't any neighbors nearby to disrupt.

We gently push the door open and slip through and then close it behind us. This is the typical scene of a party. Some drunken people, most people are sober and just dancing or chatting, some playing video games, most eating chips or popcorn, and the few confused people who don't know what to do with themselves.

Landon guides me towards the refreshment table and asks loudly, trying to compete with the music, "What would you like to drink?"

I shout back, "Coke!"

"Coming right up."

He grabs a large coke bottle, grabs two plastic cups, and pours the coke in each. We both studiously ignore the few beer bottles that I don't want to think about how Edward got them.

"Let's go look for the rest," I say to Landon.

He nods and we search through the crowds, having to push aside more than a couple of dancing bodies.

Finally, we reach a quieter area in a different room with several couches and a separate refreshment table. There's no dancing here, just chatting amongst friends and watching TV. I spot Calla, Grayson, Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett sitting on one couch and Edward, Tanya, Mike, and the others in his little clique on another couch.

I frown. Edward should be trying to interact with my friends. I know that I mentioned that we wouldn't let our friends get in the way or be a part of our relationship, but now that I think about it, a little effort would be nice.

But, Bella. It's not like you try to get along with his friends.

Right… but his friends are jerks.

Regardless, you complaining about this is just hypocritical.

True. I immediately feel ashamed and pull Landon towards Calla and the rest.

Landon leans in while we walk, and whispers, "Are you okay, Bella? You seem a little down."

"It's nothing. I guess I just don't like crowds," I tell him.

He looks skeptical of my reasoning, but lets it go. That's one of the reasons why I like him so much. He knows when not to push things. Some boyfriends can be so clingy and demanding, but Landon wasn't one of them.

We reach them and I sit down next to Landon. Alice squeals, "Isn't this part great?"

"Sure, Alice. Because you're definitely in the room where the party is."

"What's that supposed to mean?" She asks.

"Well, obviously, this room is the one for the ones who don't enjoy a loud party. There's no loud music here, or dancing people. Just people gossiping or laying around doing nothing," I explain.

She answers, "You're right. Jasper, let's go. Bella's right. The party is not in this room."

She pulls him up before he can answer and he develops a disgruntled expression on his face. "Alice, the football game is getting interesting."

She pouts and he sighs. He waves at us once and she runs out of the room with him in tow. Emmett smirks and Rosalie catches it.

She says with a sweet smile on her face, "Emmett, honey, I want to go to the main room, too. C'mon, you can catch a good football game anywhere."

He begins to protest but Rosalie's glare shuts him up quickly. "Okay, Rosie. Let's go."

Then they're gone too.

Calla looks at me with a devious smile on her face and pulls an understanding Grayson out of the room. I groan. They did NOT just do what I think they did.

Landon smiles, amused. "Did they just pull a cliché 'get our friends who are boyfriend and girlfriend alone in the same room' trick?"

I grumble. "Yeah, they did. And they forgot one teeny, weeny problem. There are about 15 of our classmates in this room with us, even if they're gone."

He laughs. "Yeah, just a teeny weeny little problem. And besides, don't people only pull this kind of thing when the boy and girl aren't together yet? I mean, it makes more sense like that. We're already together."

"So, we can now conclude that their so called 'genius' plan is an epic fail," I finish grandly.

He holds his hand up for a high five and I slap it.

Suddenly, he develops a frown on his face. I reach out and smooth it while asking, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, it's just that Edward Cullen has been staring at you nonstop for a while now, I think. I just looked up now and there he was, looking at the back of your head," he replies.

I turn around and see that he's right. Edward's staring at me, but when I meet his eyes, he quickly turns back to an annoyed looking Tanya and begins to talk to her.

I turn around to see an annoyed Landon. "What?"

He responds, "Bella, I think he might like you."

I scoff, "Um, yeah right. We're friends, and only that."

"Well, you might think that, but apparently, he doesn't," he says.

"Definitely not. He's probably just staring at me to annoy me or something."

Even to my own ears, my explanation sounded pathetic. But I was sure that Edward didn't like me and that our relationship was completely platonic. I shouldn't have to explain that concept to anyone.

"Okay, fine. Anyway, want to go back to the main room with our hair mussed and our clothes all messed up and then when they ask how it went, I'll be like, 'Bella and I versed each other in breakdancing. She won!'" Landon asks.

This is another reason why I like Landon so much. He knew I wasn't ready to hit that specific base yet and decided to turn this into a prank. He was funny and sneaky and fun to hang out with.

I nod excitedly and we take turns mussing the other's hair. I laugh hysterically as he takes my hair out of its ponytail and rubs his hands all over my hair, causing it to stick up everywhere in a fuzzy mess. I mess up his gelled hair until it no longer looks perfect. In fact, it looks far from it. We adjust our clothes and soon, we're done.

I look around and realize that everyone was staring at us; some were amused and some were looking at us like we were complete weirdoes. Edward had a strange expression on his face and I couldn't figure it out. It didn't look happy, nor did it look upset.

Hm, I'd ask him about it tomorrow, if I remembered.

Landon and I walk out of the room and straight to the main room, where the music is as loud as ever. I catch sight of the 6 of them dancing wildly and we sneak up to them. They all stop and take one look at our appearances, before they burst out in laughter.

Alice's eyes twinkle as she asks, "How'd it go?"

Emmett adds in, "I knew our plan would go perfectly."

Rosalie just looks bored while Calla's smirking at us, for some unknown reason. Grayson's smiling at us.

As planned, Landon says in an out of breath voice, "Bella and I versed each other in breakdancing. She won!"

All of them look disappointed while Calla laughs again. I look at her, confused. She smirks at me and crosses her arms over her chest.

"They tricked us, guys. They knew about what we were trying to do, and decided to turn our little plan against us. They mussed up their hair and adjusted their clothes on purpose, with their own hands, and never even went beyond hand holding. They just made up the whole breakdancing thing to trick us," she explains.

The rest of them look bewildered. I ask Calla, "How'd you know?"

She replies, "I was walking to the bathroom when I saw you guys in the midst of messing your appearances up. I guess I was in the right place at the right time."

Landon grumbles from behind me, "Gosh, why'd you have to drink so much soda, Calla?"

She shrugs, smiling.

And thus, the party ends with a plan failed, then revived, and then failed again.

**So, there was the party. Did you expect for Landon and Bella to get together? Do you find them a cute couple? (I have a feeling the answer is no for most of you, but I find them pretty cute. A relaxed, easygoing, fun relationship is one of the best). What'd you think of Edward's face expression? It was pretty obvious, though.**

**Until next time, DJ.**


	15. The Concert and It's Surprises

**Disclaimer- Don't own Twilight. **

**Quote of the Day- ****"Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. The older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young."**

**Mary Schmich**

**Chapter 15- The Concert and It's Surprises**

"Again, again! The concert is tomorrow. What are we going to do when you guys aren't even in sync?" Mr. Todd screams while nearly pulling his hair out.

I sigh. We sounded perfect. Mr. Todd was just being paranoid. For the last few weeks, Mr. Todd's only words were: "If this concert flops, I'm fired!" and "You guys are off tune! Again, again!"

However, in truth, we sounded fine.

I glance at Edward who rolls his eyes at me. He's currently sitting at the piano stretching his fingers out. He mouths, "He's going crazy. It's official."

I giggle and Mr. Todd turns to look at me and narrows his eyes in suspicion. "Yes, Bella?"

I turn to look at Edward who looks away from me studiously. I inwardly curse him and turn back to Mr. Todd with a sweet smile on my face.

"Oh, I was just thinking about a time… when Edward told me something funny."

He turns to Edward, who, in turn, glares at me.

Mr. Todd sighs and says, "Whatever, I don't have time for this. Let's continue. Okay, 1, 2, 3… go!"

Later on, Edward and I are talking in the hallway when suddenly; Tanya appears on his side and wraps her arm around him. She pouts at him and says, "Eddie, you've been leaving me alone lately for this… girl. What's up with that?"

Edward merely looks annoyed and replies, "Tanya, 'this girl' happens to be Bella Swan, and if you were paying any attention to me, you'd know that she's my best friend. And we just went out yesterday, after school. And Tanya, how many times do I have to tell you not to call me Eddie?"

She glares at me, as if it's my fault Edward's being mean to her. "I don't think Bella Swan considers you a best friend. It's obvious she has a mega huge crush on you."

What the heck? Um, no I don't. I snap at her, "I suggest you don't assume things whenever you please. I consider 'Eddie' my best friend; not a potential boyfriend. You're jealous, aren't you?"

She scowls. "No, why would I? You're not competition for me. However, I suggest that from now on, you stay away from Edward, okay?"

I roll my eyes. "You can't tell me, his best friend, to stay away from him. That's ridiculous and wrong."

"Well, I'll make him stay away from you," she replies.

"How?" I ask, skeptical.

"Well, I am his girlfriend, in case you forgot," she responds, smugly.

Edward cuts into our little cat fight. "Tanya, don't be rude. Bella and I are just friends. Nothing more. And so I'm going to hang out with her whether you approve or not. Now, I'll take you out this afternoon, okay?"

I glare at Edward. "We're going to the ice cream shop today, remember?"

He looks at me apologetically. "I'm sorry, Bella, but can we move that to another day?"

I can't believe he just chose his girlfriend over me, his best friend. One, don't let your romantic life ruin your friendships and two; he made a plan to hang out with me, first. Dropping the plan just to please his girl is not cool. But what could I say? 'No, I forbid you to cancel your plans with me.' Um, not.

I look away and mumble, "Fine, I'm going to go now. Landon's probably waiting for in the cafeteria. See you, Edward."

He looks at me with apologetic eyes while Tanya just smirks. I walk away but not before sending Tanya a withering glare of my own.

As soon as I reach the cafeteria, Landon asks, "Where were you?"

"I was just talking with Edward," I reply, while opening up a chip bag.

A jealous expression crosses his face before he covers it up with a happy smile. "Okay, so do you want to go out tonight?"

"Sure, where do you want to go?" I ask.

"How about the movies?"

"Okay."

"I'll pick you up at 7:00, is that fine?"

"Okay."

The next day is the concert. It takes place after school.

Backstage is crowded. People are rushing to put final touches on their appearances, others are going over their lines for the singing portions, and others are sitting down, wringing their hands together nervously.

I'm just sitting with Calla, bored. I'm not one to get extremely nervous for onstage performances. I used to be terrified, but I guess something changed. I'm not exactly sure what, however.

Meanwhile, Calla's one of those people wringing her hands together, nervously.

I roll my eyes and try to soothe her, "Calla, calm down. It's just one concert, and I'm pretty sure you won't mess up."

"That's what you say. I just have this feeling that I'm going to forget a line and then shout out, 'Pickles!' randomly to try to cover," she replies.

I decide it's best to leave her alone. I really have no answer to what she just said.

Finally, the concert is beginning. All of us file out and take our spots on the stage. The orchestra takes up the right side of the stage while the chorus takes up the left side of the stage.

And we begin. Calla sings her solo and Tanya sings her solo. Marley sings her solo and Harry sings his solo. Then, it's my turn. At first, everything's fine, but suddenly, I see something that makes me forget everything I prepared up until now.

Jacob Black and Angela Weber are in the room with another boy that I don't recognize. I choke and in the front row of the audience, I can see Mr. Todd groaning.

I don't know what to say, so I shout out the only thing I can think of.

"Pickles!"

After the concert, Charlie comes up to me with an amused expression on his face. Renee's at his side and she looks like she's trying to stifle her laughter.

I glare at the two of them, daring them to even giggle.

Charlie clears his throat. "Bells, we're really proud of you. We especially loved the "pickles" bit of your solo!"

I whine, "Dad, c'mon, I'm already embarrassed enough as it is! Do you really need to add onto my humiliation?"

He develops a serious expression on his face and I sigh in relief but his next few words make me frown again. "Yes, Bells, I really do need to. It's my responsibility as a parent."

Renee adds in, "Hey, Charlie, we should put up a poster in our living room that reads: Pickles!"

I groan. "Mom! Not you too!"

She winks at me. "It's fun."

I stalk away from them and head to Calla, who's standing with Alice, Rosalie, Jasper, Emmett, Landon, and Grayson. As soon I enter the group, they all begin laughing hysterically.

Emmett howls. "Bella that was the best solo I've ever heard of!"

Alice giggles, Rosalie smirks, Jasper smiles, Landon grins widely at me, and Grayson tries to fight off a smile. I turn to Calla with a lethal expression on my face.

"Calla, did you have to bring that up to me before the concert?"

She laughs. "Yes, that was priceless! But, Bella, what made you forget your lines. I know that you don't get nervous on the stage."

That reminds me. "Oh, I just saw some really close best friends of mine from middle school. We lost contact the summer before ninth, but they were here today. I'm sure of it. You guys stay here; I'm going to go look for them."

Was that a hallucination? Probably not.

I searched the crowds of people thoroughly, and I was going to give up, when I saw Angela, Jacob, and Mystery Guy loitering in a corner. I briskly walk towards them and approach them.

Up close, it's apparent that Jacob had a huge growth spurt and is now nearing 6'0. He developed muscles, and he was certainly more handsome that I remembered him as. Meanwhile, Angela grew as well, and her features turned more womanly.

Angela squeals, reminding me of Alice, "Bella! I can't believe it! We saw you at the concert and you were singing a solo- interesting choice of words by the way-!" She winks at the end.

I blush fiercely and Jacob laughs. "That's the Bella we know! Now, tell us how you got into Jonson. We all know that you lack in intelligence."

I slap him playfully and ask, "Before I tell you my life story, who is this guy over here?"

Angela responds, "This is Ben Cheney. He's my boyfriend. Jake and I broke up about a year ago."

What? They were so cute together, though. Whatever, I guess love can be unpredictable.

"I see, okay now I'll tell you how I got in. Well, I actually made a best friend in Forks High before we came here. I met her at the beginning of 9th grade and we hit it off. Her name is Calla Parks. She also had a solo today. Anyway, February, of this year, Calla and I competed in the annual competition Forks High holds every year, and Jonson recruiters came and recruited us. Contrary to Jake's belief, I'm not a dummy anymore, so they accepted the both of us," I explain.

The two of them look shocked. I let them think about it for a little while; digest the information. Should I tell them about the whole fiasco with Edward? Nah, I'm a lazy person. They remembered Edward as one of my best friends, and now that he is my best friend again, they won't question anything.

"Anyway," I continue, "What are you guys doing here?"

Ben answers since the other two are still taking in everything. "It's an extra credit thing for our music class. Stupid, yes, but the three of us are not good at music. At all."

I laugh. "I wouldn't suspect that. Angela and Jake never got a bad grade in their life, from what I remember, so I really can't imagine that."

Ben shrugs. "Being perfect is hard. You slip up at times."

"Yeah, I can relate with that. Not really," I quip.

He laughs and finally Angela and Jake join our conversation. Angela murmurs, "Wow, Bella. That's… amazing. By the way, you have a beautiful voice."

"Thanks, Ang. Now, I've got to get back to my other friends. It was nice seeing you guys again."

Jake stops me from leaving. "How about your romantic life?" He waggles his eyebrows and I roll my eyes.

"Well, I do have a boyfriend. His name is Landon and we've been together for about 3 months now. Are we done discussing me, now?" I ask.

"Yeah, give us your phone number. We will be contacting again, if I can help it," Angela demands firmly.

"Look it up in the phonebook. I just got a new phone so I don't really know my number by heart yet," I reply.

They nod and I wave once before heading back.

Before I can reach Calla, Edward stops me. I groan. Interruptions were popping up from all over the place. Even if they were good ones, it was annoying.

"Yes, Edward? If you're here to make fun of me and call me pickle girl or something, I don't want to hear it," I say.

He looks disappointed. "Man, I was really looking forward to making fun of you."

I reply, brightly, "Okay then. Bye!"

I rush by before he can grab me and start another type of conversation and finally, I'm with the group again. They're currently discussing glue and bottles. I'm confused.

Rosalie snaps at Emmett, "That's not even a good theory. At all!"

He protests, "It's obvious that glue doesn't stick to the inside of the bottle because the glue doesn't like the bottle, therefore trying it's best to get away from it."

Alice laughs. "Emmett, that's stupid. You're acting like the glue is alive. And it's not."

I stare at them, incredulous. "What kind of conversation is this?"

Landon whispers, "I know. I was being tortured here, listening to them argue about something that one can easily look up on the internet."

"I feel bad for you. Hey, where are Calla and Grayson?" I ask. I look around once more, and confirm that they're gone.

Landon replies with a grin on his face, "They went somewhere to have some time alone."

"Oh, interesting."

"Yeah."

**Okay, so even I admit that was a pretty lame ending, but I don't want to have too many scenes in one chapter. Thanks for reading!**

**If you have the time, please review. They make my day!**

**~ DJ.**


	16. Don't Regret What Once Made You Smile

**Disclaimer- Don't own Twilight.**

**Chapter 16- Don't Regret What Once Made You Smile**

**Quote of the Day- "****Bad things do happen; how I respond to them defines my character and the quality of my life. I can choose to sit in perpetual sadness, immobilized by the gravity of my loss, or I can choose to rise from the pain and treasure the most precious gift I have - life itself.****"**

**Walter Anderson**

**Another Quote of the Day- "****I think it's important to have closure in any relationship that ends - from a romantic relationship to a friendship. You should always have a sense of clarity at the end and know why it began and why it ended. You need that in your life to move cleanly into your next phase.****"**

**Jennifer Aniston**

Renee got me a diary. I don't understand why. I picture myself as one of those people who write in their diaries for the first few days after they receive it and then forget about it. Then, when they're cleaning out their room about one year later, they find the diary, read the few entries that they wrote, and then write one that day. And then forget about it.

Anyway, despite that, here I go. My first entry in this diary which I will forget within the next week or so:

_May 25, Saturday_

_Dear Diary, _(Is that what you even say at the beginning of an entry?)

_Edward's taking me somewhere. No, not like that. Not like a date. We're just hanging out. He seemed really excited when he told me about it, and he had this secretive smile on his face. I'm suspicious, but not really. I don't really care he takes. He's just fun to hang out with._

_ Oh, and I'm meeting up with Landon right after I'm done hanging out with Edward. Yeah, I'm a busy girl with a great social life. Note my sarcasm._

_ Okay, how to end this._

_Bye._

Well, that went well.

I close the diary, throw it underneath my bed, and walk downstairs. As if on cue, the doorbell rings and I rush to open it. It's Edward. I smile and hug him. He gently hugs me back and tugs me out of the house. I close the door behind me.

"So, where are we going?" I ask.

"Nice try, but it's a surprise. But as soon as we start walking in the general direction, you'll figure it out," he smirks.

"We're walking?" I ask.

"Yeah, let's go."

He holds my hand in his and we begin walking. At first, I have no clue where we're heading. We hit the edge of the forest and walk into the woods. We're halfway in and I still don't know where we're going. Then, a thought hits me.

"Are you taking me somewhere deep in the woods to kill me?" I ask.

He sighs. "Where in the world did you get that idea?"

"Well, I don't know what else to think when you're tugging me somewhere in the middle of the woods!"

He pouts. "Do you really not know? Or remember?"

Confused, I ask, "Remember what? Know what?"

He rolls his eyes and finally he announces, "We're here. I hope you recognize it as soon as you see it."

He puts his hands over my eyes and we walk somewhere where it's most likely light. He takes his hands off of my face and when I see where we are, I gasp.

The sun is shining, the rays of light caressing the grass. And the grass! So tall, softly swaying in the warm breeze, as green as grass can possibly get. They flowers, yellow like the sun. It seems too picture perfect here.

I look towards Edward to see him staring right back at me, his emerald green eyes burning… smoldering. His pale face surrounded by the bronze halo.

We're at our meadow. The one that we went to all those years ago, when we were merely 7th graders. This was… amazing. I really can't describe it any other way.

Edward gently guides me so we're lying down, side by side. The grass massages my back and the sun's heat feels so good. I don't how many minutes past. Or how many hours past. I really don't.

But when Edward talks, it seems like forever had passed, "Bella, I'm thinking of breaking up with Tanya. What'd you think?"

He stared at me with an unfathomable expression on his face. Curiously, I ask him, "Why do you care of my opinion?"

"Because you're my best friend, Bella. I want your input." He replies.

"Well… it all depends on how much you like her. You always complain about her, but there are sometimes when I look over, and you two look so sweet, so happy together. So, I'm sorry, but I don't know, Edward," I reply.

"It's fine. Sometimes, I feel like Tanya doesn't like me for who I am. And she may be cheating on me."

I gasp. "What!?"

He rushes to explain, "It's just a theory."

I ask, "Do you have any evidence?"

"Well, Mike told me that he saw her hanging out with Kyle Penny. But I don't know whether or not to believe him."

"I don't know what to say, Edward. Do what's right."

He murmurs, "Do what's right…"

"Huh?"

He looks up at me with alarmed eyes and stutters out, "Nothing."

"Oh, okay. So, I think we should head back now. I have to go on a date with Landon."

He asks me, "Do you really like Landon?"

Surprised, I answer, "Of course, he's my boyfriend."

He presses, "Does he make your heart race? Does he make you stutter? Does he make you blush? Hm, Bella?"

My eyes grow wide. "Yes."

"Don't lie to me, Bella," he murmurs.

He's extremely close to me now, his lips only one inch away. No, bad Bella.

"I'm not lying," I protest.

"Don't consider acting as a profession, Bella," he mutters, amused.

I say through gritted teeth, "Why does it even matter to you?"

"I only want the best for you, Bella," he replies.

"What's best is that you butt out of my romantic life. You're acting like Charlie, or Alice."

He runs his hands through his hair, looking frustrated. "Bella, I can't butt out of your romantic life. Can't you see? I like you."

_I like you, I like you, I like you. _The phrase repeats in my head.

He leans in and he's just so close now. His sweet breath wafts over my face as his emerald green eyes gaze into mine. I almost succumb to the kiss, but then, I think of Landon's smiling face, his red hair everywhere and his gray eyes sparkling.

And I pull away abruptly. Because I just can't. I can't betray Landon like that. Even if he doesn't make me stutter, blush, or make my heart race.

I'm in a relationship with him and this just isn't right. And come to think of it, Edward's in a relationship, too. It's just wrong for us to be doing this, no matter how much I want it.

Wait, what? You want it, Bella?

No.

Uh, huh.

Shush.

I look up from the ground and at Edward's face. He looks dejected and sad, like a lost puppy. It makes me want to hug him, but for some reason, I don't think that this is the best time for a friendly hug.

I decide I owe him an explanation, but I would not use the whole 'It's not you, it's me' thing. That would just hurt him more.

"Edward, you're an amazing guy, but we're both in relationships. You're with Tanya and I'm with Landon. It's not right for us to do this. Besides, we agreed to be friends. I wouldn't want a romantic relationship to ruin that easy friendship we have." Although I think that our easy friendship was already ruined at this point.

He replies, looking pained, "I don't like Tanya like that. She's a great girl… I suppose, but I don't see myself with her. And you and Landon are more like friends, no?"

I whisper, "I like Landon, Edward. You can't just assume that I don't."

"Okay, Bella. But know this; I won't stop fighting for you."

I sigh. "Of course you won't, Edward. Bye, thanks for taking me out."

He nods and lies down again. I guess that's my cue to leave. I slowly walk out of the forest and run back to my house.

What. Was. That?

Later, on the date with Landon, I can't concentrate. We're eating at an Italian place and there's no conversation between us. And worse, we're the only two in the restaurant, so the silence is just awkward.

Finally, I can't take it anymore and I clear my throat. Edward and I never ran out of conversation. Wait, since when was I comparing Edward to Landon? That wasn't fair.

He frowns and sets his fork down. "Bella, I've got to tell you something and it's pretty big."

I frown as well. "Is it bad news?"

He sighs. "Unfortunately, yes."

I cautiously ask, "Does it affect our relationship?"

"Not if you don't want it to," he replies.

"What is it?" I ask suspiciously.

"Well, I'm moving," he replies, looking nervous.

"You're not serious."

"I'm dead serious."

I sigh for what seems like the millionth time today. "When?"

"Tomorrow. But don't get mad at me. I just found out this morning. My parents held off on telling me until the very last minute. Literally, the very last minute." he says.

Sadly, I ask, "Are we going to stay a couple?"

Even sadder, he replies, "I don't know, do you want to?"

"I want to, but I don't think long distance relationships turn out well."

"I know," he replies.

"So, I guess this is goodbye."

"But we're not done with the pasta yet," he protests.

I laugh loudly. This is how I would remember our relationship as. Fun-filled, laughable, easy going, and simply wonderful.

And it's funny, because we never kissed on the lips once. Yet, our relationship didn't need that kind of physical interaction to make it special.

Later that day, I went to a tree, and did something so cliché, yet beautiful. I found a sharp stick and carved our names into a random tree in the woods near our house. I drew a heart around the two names and kissed it.

And as expected, later on, I found a splinter in my pinkie. Renee has to take it out but we don't talk. I think she knows what I'm going through. It's a mother-daughter thing, I guess.

And before going to bed, I take off the bulletin full of pictures of Landon and me together, off my wall and tuck it under my bed. I reach under again and take out the diary I thrust underneath.

_Still Saturday, May 25_

_Dear Diary,_

_ Edward almost kissed me today. But I rejected him because we're both in relationships._

_ But suddenly, I wasn't in a relationship anymore. Because Landon revealed that he was going to move away. I'll never forget the last words he said to me: But we're not done with the pasta yet!"_

_ Now that I think about it, it's weird. It's weird how Edward tried to kiss me and I rejected him because of Landon. And then, there's no more Landon in my life anymore. Is fate trying to tell me something? Is fate trying to push us together? _

_ I should feel miserable. I should feel sad. I should feel pain._

_ But I don't. All I feel is… nothing. But it's not in a bad way. Landon and I just weren't meant to be and the time we had together taught me one beautiful thing: Never regret what once made you smile._

_Thanks for listening, Bella._

**What'd you think of this chapter? A lot happened. I felt sad at the end, writing it, although Bella certainly didn't.**

**Thanks for reading and if you have the time, please review.**

**~ DJ**


	17. Realization

**Disclaimer- Don't own Twilight.**

**Quote of the Day- ****"Love is the extremely difficult realization that something other than oneself is real."****  
****―****Iris Murdoch**

**Chapter 17- Realization **

On Monday, everyone notices that Landon is gone. Surprisingly, no one's smart enough to come to me, his girlfriend, to find out where he went. But then again, this is only one day that he's gone. They're probably thinking that he's sick or something of the sort, and would be back in school within the week.

Calla asks me during lunch, "Is Landon sick?"

I sigh. "No, he moved away yesterday."

She gasps. "No! Are you guys maintaining a long distance relationship?"

"No, we both agreed that it wasn't going to work out," I reply.

"Oh, are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"Okay."

And that's the last conversation we have about Landon. Calla knows when to not talk about something with me.

Edward approaches me during lunch, with an awkward expression on his face. His hands are stuffed into his pockets and he's looking down at the ground. It's not typical behavior for him.

He says, "I'm sorry about Landon moving."

Shocked, I ask, "How'd you know?"

"Well, Carlisle knew Landon's dad on a pretty personal level and he told me this morning while we were eating breakfast."

"Oh."

"Yeah… are you sad?" He asks.

"No."

"No?" He asks with raised eyebrows.

"I don't feel sad about it. Landon and I were a great couple and we had fun times. He once told me to never regret what once made me smile. And I don't regret the relationship we had," I explain while chewing on my salad.

"That makes sense."

"Yes, Landon was a smart guy," I say.

"That he was. I'm going to head back to my lunch table now," he mutters.

"Okay, see you later."

"Bye."

After he leaves, Alice directly asks me, "We're going to the First Beach in about a week or so. It'll be June by then, and hopefully a little warmer than the norm."

I think about it. Was I busy? Um, no.

"Sure, could someone drive me, though? I'm still 15, believe it or not."

Emmett snorts. "We can believe it, Bella."

I roll my eyes and out of the corner of my eyes, I can see Rosalie glaring at me. I raise my eyebrows at her and ask, "What?"

She hisses, "When are you going to tell them that Landon is not coming back?"

"You know?" I ask.

"Yes, my mom was associated with his mom and I just found out yesterday."

"So if you know, why don't you tell them? Why do I have to tell them?"

"Because he was your boyfriend, Bella. They should hear it from you," she explains, her expression softening.

I sigh. "Rosalie's right. I have to tell you guys something. Landon's never coming back here again. He moved away. And we cut off our ties."

Alice gasps. "Oh, Bella! Are you okay?"

"Yes, I am. No one else ask me that, because that's the third time I heard that three times today," I reply, frustrated.

No one speaks. Finally Emmett speaks up, "Well then, about that dance coming up?"

I laugh. Emmett knew how to lighten the mood. Meanwhile, Alice seems to have taken his sentence seriously because she immediately launches into a whole discussion about what we're wearing and when we should go shopping.

Rosalie turns to me, her icy blue eyes filled with curiosity. "Are you going alone?"

"Most likely."

"Whatever, who needs a boyfriend to tie them down," she scoffs.

"But you're in a relationship with Emmett," I point out.

"Yes, but I'm the boss in this couple. He listens to me and not the other way around," she proudly says.

I giggle and she smiles.

I think that Rosalie and I had just reached a truce. Maybe she'll want to hang out with me someday; friend to friend.

My house phone rings, shrill, loud, and clear. I hurriedly pick it up, eager to silence it.

"Hello?"

"Hi, is this Bella?"

"Yes, who's calling?" I ask.

"Edward Cullen."

"Why didn't you call on my cell?"

"I didn't know if you would answer or not if you saw the caller ID and saw it was me," he answers.

"Why wouldn't I?" I ask, confused.

"Well, that moment we had in the meadow… was… awkward," he says, uncomfortable.

"True, it was awkward, but it doesn't change our relationship at all. We're still best friends and we're going to have fun together, laugh, and so on. We're going to try out best to forget that moment, okay?"

"Fine. But I have something to tell you."

"Yes?"

"I broke up with Tanya, today," he says slowly.

"Really?"

"Why would I lie about it?"

"True. Why, though?"

"Well, today, I was talking to Katelyn, you know that sweet girl that I'm partners with in English? I told you about her."

"Yeah, I remember," I reply impatiently.

"And Tanya comes up and starts screaming at Katelyn. It was inappropriate and rude. So I just broke up with her on the spot," he says.

"That's interesting."

"Nah, I was going to cut it off with her a long time ago. And she took it pretty well if you count yelling and then kicking a nearby locker 'taking it pretty well'," he laughs.

I giggle. "Hey, the locker could've been you and you might've been in crutches right now, so I would say she took it pretty well."

"Anyway, do you want to go to the ice cream parlor right now?" He asks.

"Sure, I'm done with homework. See you there."

"See you there."

I hang up and then start walking to the ice cream parlor. I was extremely glad that nothing was wrong between the two of us, because I didn't want to lose a best friend. Even if he had some feelings for me.

I reach the ice cream parlor and see Edward waiting inside for me. He smiles and hugs me as soon as I walk in.

He murmurs, "Hey there, what do you want?"

"Strawberry."

The next thing he says surprises me. "Strawberries, the scent of your hair."

I blush. "Um, thanks?"

He chuckles and orders as I find a booth for us to sit at. I look at Edward ordering and see the girl taking his order, flirting with him. And it's not bad flirting, and she's not bad looking. With her black hair and light blue eyes, she looks like the type of girl who could get any kind of guy; even the cutest ones. She's twirling her hair around her pointer finger and smiling at him sweetly.

Something inside of me rises. I don't know what it is, but it doesn't feel good. Could it possibly be… jealousy?

I shake it off quickly and as Edward walks back with our ice creams, I smile at him. He sits down and asks with raised eyebrows, "What are you so happy about?"

"Nothing, looks like you've got yourself an admirer there," I hint.

He amusedly replies, "Yes, I think so. Jealous?"

I protest, "No! I'm just saying that she's a pretty girl, so you should get her number."

"Not my type. I prefer brunettes with long, chocolate brown hair," he replies before digging into his vanilla ice cream.

That was just a coincidence, Bella. Sure, you have long, chocolate brown hair, but so do a lot of people. Remember Jessica? She had long, chocolate brown hair.

Well, it was more of a caramel shade with a few streaks of chocolate brown.

Not the point, Bella.

Fine, okay. Let's pass this off as a coincidence.

But you can't because you know he likes you.

True… Ugh!

Edward asks me, "Are you okay?"

_Um, no. I'm completely confused about where my heart lies, and I feel like tearing my hair out of my head! _"I'm fine, thanks for asking."

"Ok, if you're sure…"

I begin eating my strawberry ice cream, the flavor exploding in my mouth. Suddenly, a shadow falls over our table. I look up, along with Edward and I see the girl that was flirting with him before, smile at him alluringly.

"Hi, I'm McKenna. I took your order before. I was wondering if you wanted to go to the movies sometime. I know it's odd, a girl asking a boy out, but I have a hunch that you would never ask me out," she asks, jovially.

And then her eyes fall on me. The light blue fades and she frowns. "I'm sorry. I didn't know you had a girlfriend."

I shake my head softly. "No, I'm not his girlfriend."

I didn't know what made me speak at that moment. I guess it's just that she's so nice and spunky, and I felt like lying to her was… wrong. If she was another version of Tanya, then I would lie my heart away, but she wasn't. She was… nice.

She brightens up again and nods gratefully at me. She turns to Edward again, who's looking at me intensely and asks, "So? What do you think?"

He clears his throat. "I'm sorry, but I just got over a relationship and I don't think I'm ready to start another one."

She looks fairly disappointed but nods, her curls bouncing prettily. "I understand. Well, thanks for considering it. Bye."

I wave at her while Edward just smiles. She heads back to the counter and waits for the next customer to come. I turn towards Edward and ask, "What was that your real reason?"

He snorts. "No, but I don't want to hurt her."

My mouth falls open. "Edward! She seemed like a nice girl! Sneaky, sneaky."

Although I can't help but feel relieved that he rejected her. Mean, yes, but for the first time ever, I feel like I might just like Edward as more than a friend.

Why else would I feel jealous that another girl had her eyes on him? I couldn't deny the facts anymore. I couldn't hide myself from the truth anymore. I liked him and I planned on letting him know very soon.

**So, finally Bella realizes that she likes him. Even as the author of this story, I was getting exasperated with Bella as she kept on denying the fact that she likes him, so I just sped it up a bit. **

**Thanks for reading and if you have the time, please review! They make my day and encourage me to write more.**

**~ DJ.**


	18. A Day At the Beach

**Disclaimer- Don't own Twilight.**

**This author's note might be a bit long. Okay, so first. I noticed that my line breaks (I put asterisks to signify a changing of scene) weren't showing up on fan fiction, and it'd take too long to go back to try to figure it out, so hopefully, the changing of the scenes is obvious, so you guys can figure it out. **

**Secondly, in this chapter, Bella still didn't tell Edward she likes him. It'll be pretty obvious, but just in case; I'm putting this out there. **

**Thirdly, I don't know how long this story will be, but I'm hoping within 25-50 chapters. I'm undecided as to where to end it. (More information will be on the bottom about this certain problem)**

**Quote of the Day- "****The biggest risk is not taking any risk... In a world that changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks.****"**

**Mark Zuckerberg**

**Chapter 18- A Day at the Beach**

We're at the beach. And guess what? It's cold, windy, and drizzling. Despite these crucial facts, Alice insisted that we go anyway. I just think it's pointless and stupid. Nevertheless, here I am, in shorts and a tank top with a bathing suit underneath, standing on sand, right next to the calm ocean. Underneath the gray sky.

The rest are setting up beach towels and other beach supplies on a spot on the beach. Unsurprisingly, we're the only ones here.

And by the rest, I mean: Edward (he's gotten closer to my group of friends ever since he broke up with Tanya and stopped hanging out with the jocks/cheerleaders), Alice, Jasper, Calla, Grayson, Rosalie, and Emmett.

Alice calls out, "Everyone, let's go into the water!"

I immediately protest, "No way, Alice. It's way too cold. We'll all get sick!"

She pouts. "So why'd we all wear our bathing suits then?"

"Because you made us?" Rosalie says.

I snicker and Alice glares at me. "Bella, we're going in. If I have to pull you in, that's what'll I do."

I sigh and comply. No matter how many times I decline, I'd end up in the water anyway.

We all slowly walk to the water, trying to prolong it as much as possible, while Alice runs at bullet speed and splashes into the water, squealing like a little girl. I share an amused glance with Calla, who then splashes into the water along with Alice. She squeaks in surprise and I laugh.

We all follow suit with me being the last one in. As soon as I'm in the water, I shiver violently. The water is freezing. The sensation is like putting ice cubes down the back of your shirt. I'm still shivering violently when suddenly, a pair of warm arms wrap around me.

I turn around to see Edward hugging me.

I blush a scarlet red and hiss, "Edward!"

He smirks. "What? You looked cold, so I thought I'd warm you up."

I look down at the water and see little fish nipping at my toes through the clear water. "Yeah, but this is a bit too close for comfort."

"What, we always hug," he replies.

"Yes, but not when you don't have a shirt on and I'm wearing a damn bikini."

He looks down as if first noticing my outfit. He looks up and down and I immediately step out of his embrace. He murmurs, "You look nice, Bella."

I blush again and reply, "Thanks" with my teeth gritted.

And then the next thing he says makes me realize something. "That's the first time I heard you say a bad word, or something that's remotely a bad word."

Oh, right. That is the first time. I've been hanging out with Calla less these days because of our larger group of friends and Grayson, so her influence has probably been lessening on me.

"Yeah, you're right. Oh well, I've got to grow up sometime."

He chuckles. "Bella, the rebel? I like the sound of that."

I grumble. "I say one bad word and I'm suddenly a rebel? Wow, this world is weird."

He laughs out loud and suddenly jumps on me and we both fall under the water. I come up, spluttering and annoyed.

"Edward Anthony Cullen!" I shriek. "You are in so much trouble!"

He laughs while swimming away and I dive under the water after him. I grab one of his legs and pull him under the water. I resurface and amusedly watch as he comes up from underneath the water, spitting water out of his mouth. I smirk at him and he looks up just in time to catch my smirk.

"Okay, fine, you win this time, but watch out! I'm getting you, be it tomorrow or next week," he says with an evil grin on his face.

I roll my eyes. "Stop being so dramatic."

"Whatever."

I burst out in laughter and he laughs along with me. Soon, all of us decide that we've had enough fun in the water and we walk out, every single one of us shivering crazily.

Jasper announces, "Emmett and I will make a fire."

Like they could.

As I expected, ten minutes later, they're still trying to build a fire with a rock and a stick and failing. Rosalie snaps, "Step aside losers, I got it."

They step aside with pouts on their faces and Rosalie slides the sunglasses that she had on her face. I didn't really get the point of wearing sunglasses when the sun wasn't actually out, but right now, I couldn't be more grateful for her nonsensical sunglasses.

She crouches next to the logs and does something with her sunglasses. A few minutes later, a fire comes alive. She stands up proudly and puts the sunglasses back on. We all applaud her and she bows grandly.

We all sit around the fire and Alice blurts, "Let's play Truth or Dare!"

Some people groan while others shout in agreement. Alice flips her hair haughtily and says, "For the people who groaned, we're playing anyway. Okay, I'll go first. Hmm, Calla, do you ever think about marrying Grayson?"

Calla giggles while blushing and I grin widely at her. She murmurs, "I'm only 16 years old."

Alice insists, "You've got to answer, or you're out!"

"I wasn't aware that Truth or Dare was a competition to see who the last one standing is," Edward murmurs.

Alice replies, "Well, now it is. Last person standing gets to order one person to do one embarrassing or scary thing today, at the beach."

Wow, this felt like the Hunger Games.

"So, Calla, out or answer?"

Calla thinks about it for a minute or two before answering, "Okay, so I don't actually think about marrying Grayson. It never really crosses my mind, but now that I think about it, I wouldn't mind being legally tied to him."

Grayson grins and kisses her on the lips, chastely.

She hugs him and I sigh. Alice looks disappointed that she didn't manage to get anybody out. She grumbles, "Calla, pick someone to truth or dare."

Calla comes out of the embrace and looks around the group. Her eyes fall on Emmett and she grins mischievously.

"Emmett, truth or dare?" She asks.

Cockily, Emmett replies, "Obviously dare."

"Perfect. Okay, I dare you to tell Rosalie one thing you don't like about her," she commands.

Emmett pales and turns to Rosalie who's glaring at him, as if daring him to say a mean word to her. Emmett seems to consider his options. Face the wrath of Rosalie and potential break up or lose one match of Truth or Dare?

He obviously chose the latter because he mumbles out, "I forfeit."

Rosalie grins and kisses him. Calla looks victorious as she pumps her fist into the air. Alice just looks disgruntled that Calla was able to kick someone out of the game, while she wasn't.

Calla has to go again, which makes everyone remaining in the group, scared.

She turns towards Edward and asks, "Is there anyone you like?"

He looks pleased. "Yes."

She looks at him expectantly, waiting for the rest of the answer. He raises his eyebrows at her and explains, "You asked me if I liked anyone. Not who I liked."

Calla scowls. "You found a loophole."

"Well, it was right there for me to use," Edward smirks.

She rolls her eyes and pouts. Edward looks around and looks directly at me, his green eyes smoldering. "Bella, truth or dare?"

I answer, "Truth."

"Okay, who do you like?"

I'll just lie. "No one."

Jasper scoffs, "I'm sure that you've heard this many times before, Bella, but please, never consider acting as a profession."

I roll my eyes at him and protest weakly, "Really, there's no one out there for me."

Rosalie dryly says, "Spill, Bella. We all know you're lying. One, you're blushing, two, you're sweating, three, you're hyperventilating."

I sigh. "I forfeit then."

All of them disappointed at my decision to not answer, but what was I going to do? Admit that I liked Edward in front of all of them? I sit next to a disgruntled Emmett who immediately brightens up when he sees me.

"So, I'm not the only one!"

"Don't be so happy about it, dork," I grumble.

"Well, you're not fun company."

"Too bad."

He grins and I turn away from him.

One by one, people join us on the log for the losers. First Rosalie, who got asked who she hated the most in the group, then Jasper, who got dared to push Alice off the log, then Grayson who got dared to jump into the ocean again, and then Calla, who got dared to say a bad word (I laughed at this one… a lot).

Alice and Edward were the last ones left, as I had expected. If they didn't like a question, they were amazing liars, so they could just lie their butts off.

The losers gather around as Alice and Edward play rock, paper, and scissors to see who got to ask the question. Out of three rounds, Edward ended up winning. Alice wasn't such a great sport and stomped off to Jasper, who comforted her, whispering words into her ears and rubbing her back.

Edward looks at all of us while cackling evilly and rubbing his hands together. "Well, here I am. In the position of power. Okay, I'm not making any of the boys do anything because that isn't any fun. No Alice, since she was this close to winning. No Rosalie because she'd get her revenge on me eventually. Hmm, Calla or Bella? Grayson would kill me if I made her do anything bad. So, it's you, Bella."

I gulp. What was he going to make me do? Jump into the water? Climb a tree? Roll around in the sand?

He says, "Ok, I command you to jump into the ocean with your bikini on, take it off in the water, and then put it back on. And then come back out."

I look at him in horror. I was NOT doing that. That was just embarrassing and a death sentence. All of the boys hoot and the girls look at me with amusement. I shake my head furiously.

"No, what if you guys saw me?"

"Well, that's the fun isn't it?" Edward asks.

I eye the woods nervously, hoping to see a route of escape. Edward catches my gaze and narrows his eyes. "If you dare, Bella."

I sigh. And then I pretend to walk towards the water. And then, at the last minute, I run towards the woods. Unfortunately, I'm the slowest person on earth and Edward immediately catches up to me and tackles me to the ground.

"Now, Bella."

I sigh. "Fine."

I run to the water, do what he says, and then run back out. By now, I'm blushing like crazy, shivering like crazy, and annoyed like crazy. Calla immediately wraps me in a towel while laughing. I glare at her and she immediately stops.

I stalk towards Edward with the towel wrapped around me and he smirks. "Liked it?"

"Hated it."

He smiles. "I am proud of myself for thinking up that one."

I hiss, "I will get you back one day, Edward Anthony Cullen. You just wait. It's coming."

He pinches my cheek lightly. "Oh, Bella. It's good to have big dreams."

I growl. "Whatever, now I'm going to sit beside the fire and warm myself up."

I head towards the fire, but when I get there, there's no fire.

I yell at the top of my lungs, "Edward!"

In a flash, he's by my side. He takes one look at the place where there should be a fire and shrugs. "I guess fate wants you to be cold."

"Or maybe, someone put it out. Like you!" I yell.

"I did not, I swear."

"Right."

"Really!"

Someone appears besides Edward.

"No, Bella. I did."

**A small cliffy! Who do you think it is? It really could be anyone, but I'm thinking that most of you know exactly who it is.**

**The next chapter will be a very small time skip, but a time skip none the less.**

**I have a question for all of you and you could answer in the form of a personal message, or a review. Should I end it after their sophomore year ends, after the summer before their junior year, after their senior year, or… beyond that (meaning college and other…plot points)? I really need your opinion on this. I don't want this story to drag, you see.**

**Thanks for reading, and if you have the time, please review. **

**~ DJ.**


	19. It's Time

**Disclaimer- Don't own Twilight.**

**I decided where I will end this story and although it isn't any one of the two suggestions, I thank you for sharing your opinions. The ending is near; extremely near, so I'm feeling excited, but a little bit sad. But I won't give anything away now.**

**Quote of the Day- ****"I was in love, and the feeling was even more wonderful than I ever imagined it could be."**

**Nicholas Sparks**

**Chapter 19- It's Time**

I look towards the voice and I'm filled with happiness when I see who it is.

With brown eyes shining with mischief, spiky black hair tousled, and russet skin, Jacob is standing right in front of me.

I throw myself at him and he laughs as he hugs me back. He's taller than me by far, now, so it's a bit awkward. I step back from the hug and ask, "What are you doing here, Jake?"

"Bella, I live in LaPush. I come to this beach almost every day."

I blush. "Right, it's been such a long time that we didn't hang out that I can't remember every little thing about you."

"You're right. Anyway, I was walking on the beach when I saw you coming out of the water, shivering and cold. So I decided to help you out by putting out the fire. I thought it'd make you feel better. You know me. My middle name's Considerate."

I roll my eyes at Jake. "Sure, Jake, believe whatever you want to believe. God, it's freaking cold. I hate you right now Jacob Black."

He grins at me and moves in for a hug. I let him because based on our previous hug, he's like a heater. I immediately stop shivering as soon as we embrace, and I'm relieved for that. I smirk at Edward through the crook of Jake's arms and he looks annoyed.

He walks away and I frown. What a moody, moody person.

I step out of Jake's embrace and hook my arm through his. "So, how are Angela and Ben doing?"

He replies, "They're still in the mushy, gushy stage, so I have to deal with watching them make out or coo over each other every day during school."

I laugh. "I had to see Calla and Grayson doing that every day for a while. Landon and I didn't go through that stage. In fact, we never kissed on the lips."

He frowns. "Were?"

Sighing, I reply, "He moved away recently, and we broke it off. Long distance relationships are shaky."

"Wow, Bella. That's terrible."

"Not really, Landon and I weren't in love with each other. We weren't at that point yet, so it was sort of like leaving a friend that you hung out with a lot but when he leaves, it's not heartbreaking. You know life will go on," I say.

"That's deep. Who knew Bella Swan could be… insightful? Intelligent?"

I shove him playfully and snap, "Jake, shut it with the dumb jokes. I bet that I can outsmart you at a mental math quiz."

He raises an eyebrow. "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Fine, let's grab someone to test us. It'll be easy math, I'm assuming?"

"Yes, studies show that if you're quick at easy calculations, you'll be better at the harder problems as you grow up," I reply.

"Fine, I'll get someone."

He runs off and I lean against a tree trunk. Soon, he's back, and he's pulling Edward along with him. Edward looks disgruntled, and he keeps on muttering things under his breath.

Jake turns to Edward and says, "Test us on our mental math calculations. See who can do it quicker."

"Why me?" Edward whines childishly.

"Because."

"Fine," he grumbles.

Jake and I prepare ourselves. "73+65," Edward announces.

I shout it out first, "138."

"Correct."

I shoot a smug look at a surprised Jake. He narrows his eyes at me and develops a determined expression on his face.

10 minutes later, the score is 34-34 and Edward's going to announce the tiebreaking question. I take a deep breath in, and then let it out. This was for my pride, my dignity, and to show Jake who's boss.

Edward says, slowly, "98+147."

I know this one. "245."

Edward cheers, "That's correct. Bella is the winner by one point."

Jake groans and mutters, "I'm never going to live this one down."

I smile sweetly at him. "You're right."

He glares at me and glances at his watch. His eyes widen and he shouts, "Shoot, I've got to go. Billy wanted to take me fishing. And DON'T comment on that."

I snicker quietly as I watch Jake run away as fast as a roadrunner. Edward comes up behind me and murmurs, "Do you want to head back to the group? We're leaving now."

I nod and we silently walk back to the group. Calla jumps up and asks, "Who is that guy? Is he some secret boyfriend you hadn't told us about?"

Alice gasps and jumps up, off the log she had been sitting on. "Bella, I thought we were friends! How could you?"

I roll my eyes and reply, "He's not my boyfriend. He's a childhood friend. And now that I have a clue as to what your reaction would be if I told you I had a boyfriend, and who he is, I'm definitely not telling you guys if I get one!"

Emmett protests, "Why should the rest of us get blamed for the mistakes of two, annoying, loud, hyperactive girls?"

Alice and Calla simultaneously shout, "Hey!"

I can hear Edward chuckling from behind me and I announce, "Let's go, guys. This day has been way too long, and I'm exhausted. Besides, it's nighttime."

Everyone nods and we pack up. Then, we pile into the two cars we brought to the beach and head home.

What a day!

**One Month Later-**

I still haven't told Edward that I like him. Now, it's more than a simple crush. When I see him flirting with other girls, my heart burns, and when he calls me the best friend a guy can ask for, my heart pangs.

The dance is in one week, and I still don't have a date. Everyone's paired up except for Edward and me. Our friends tell us we should go together, but we had both politely declined.

And that's one of the reasons why I'm still afraid to tell him. He declined, which means he doesn't like me anymore. And that also means when I tell him, there's a strong chance that he'll reject me like I did one month ago.

And I'm afraid that if I get rejected, I won't be able to be friends with anymore. He was strong enough to deal with my rejection to him, but in truth, I'm not strong enough to handle the heartbreak. And this is why I'm having such a tough time telling him.

But sophomore year is ending in three weeks, and I want to tell him before it's too late. But I don't know how. Should I bring it up in a casual conversation, bring him somewhere personal, or call him and blurt it out?

I think that I need advice.

So, I head to the person that I trust most will be able to keep this secret, mainly because she's never around Edward. Plus, she's in a very happy relationship with her other half and therefore, knows what to do when it comes to love.

I walk downstairs, from my room, in which I had been thinking very hard about this topic, and head to the kitchen, where Renee is cooking up dinner. I sidle up next to her and ask, "Can we sit down and talk?"

She looks surprised, which I guess is reasonable, considering I never go to her for advice. She nods, wipes her hands off with a dish towel, and sits down at the dining table, motioning for me to follow suit. I sit down across from her and she clears her throat.

"So what'd you want to talk to me about, dear?" She asks calmly, but the excitement is still clear in her voice.

"Well, this is kind of hard for me to say… I like Edward Cullen."

Renee loses the cool façade and shrieks, "Oh my god, Bella! Boy troubles? Perfect!"

I wince. "Mom, I'm considering you my confidant, and shrieking out the secret is not helping."

She apologizes and then composes herself. "Okay, so by Edward Cullen, do you mean the bronze haired boy who was your tutor many years ago, and then your best friend, and then he left you, and then, now, he's your best friend again?"

"Yeah, is there another Edward Cullen, let alone an Edward Cullen that did all those things?"

"No, but just making sure. Now, what's the problem? You like him, so tell him!"

I sigh. "I can't. I'm too scared that he's not going to like me back. One month ago, he tried to kiss me, but I pushed him away because we were both in relationships back then. I don't think that he likes me anymore after that."

Renee's face softens and she softly says, "Bella, you can't be afraid of love. If he doesn't like you, so what? You'll move on and you'll find someone else. If you don't admit your feelings to him, you'll regret it for the rest of your life. You'll think: What if? And I'm confident that he likes you. You're beautiful, sweet, innocent, and smart."

"But I'm afraid that if he rejects me, I'll be too heartbroken to maintain our friendship, and I don't want to lose what we have, mom," I confess.

She frowns. "But that's the thing. If you really like him, you'll be willing to deal with the heartbreak. And you'll be able to live with it and let your relationship with him stay the same. Do you really like him, Bella?"

I think about it. Did I really like him?

Yes, I realize, yes I do. Every moment I spend with him is beautiful, magical, and wonderful. It's different than spending time with anybody else. When I'm with him, it feels like we're the only ones on the world. It's more of a connection that I felt with Landon. It's real.

"Yes, yes I do," I murmur in reply.

She puts one hand on my shoulder and says, "Then you know what to do."

I nod and hug her quickly, before shooting upstairs to call Edward. I was going to meet up with him right now, and tell him everything. I need to know before it's too late.

After 3 rings, he picks up. "Hi, Bella!"

"Hi Edward, can you meet me at the park nearby? The one we always go to?"

"Why? It's a school night."

"I just need to tell you something," I say.

"Ok, sure. See you soon."

"Okay, bye. Thanks, Edward."

I hang up and walk outside. It takes about 5 minutes to get to the park, and when I'm there, I see Edward swinging on the swings lightly, letting his feet push off every few swings. He looks so peaceful; so serene. His fiery hair is blowing in the breeze, gently, and the moonlight illuminates his pale face so he resembles an angel. His eyes are closed, but if they were open, I would marvel at the beauty of them.

Ugh, Bella. When'd you become such a sap?

I walk over to him and decide, just to have a little bit of fun before the serious things happen, to scare him. But then again… could I ruin such a perfect image?

Yes, yes I could.

I silently creep behind him and scream as I pull his swing to a stop. He jumps up and off the swing, rolling around in the ground and then pulls himself up hurriedly. He turns around frantically, and when I take one look at his face, I burst out into laughter. He looks ridiculous.

His face is as white as a sheet, and his green eyes are so widened that they take up half his face. His hands are in his hair, tangled up hopelessly. I continue to laugh while his eyes narrow as he realizes that I tricked him.

"Isabella Marie Swan!"

I smirk. "You are such a girl."

"Well, here I am, sitting in the dark, all by myself, on a swing, in a park with no people. And suddenly, you pop out and yell bloody murder. Obviously I was freaked out!" He screams.

"Okay, Edward. I'm sorry. Now, can we talk?"

He continues to glare at me, but nods. We each take a seat on the swings and swing back and forth. For a few minutes, it's quiet and the only thing that could be heard are the sounds of crickets chirping, and the wind rustling the leaves of the many trees. Edward seems to understand that I need some time to mull over what I'm about to tell him.

Finally, I speak up. "This is really hard for me to say. And I'm scared. But I decided today that I would tell you."

Edward looks scared. "Does it have anything to do with your health?"

I shake my head and he breathes in relief. "Good."

"I… I… l-like you Edward," I confess.

And then it becomes seriously silent. The crickets take a break from chirping and the wind calms down, leaving only dead air. The night suddenly stands still, as if awaiting Edward's response along with me.

Edward stares at me, his green eyes wide and surprised. I don't know what to make of this. I silently plead with him, _If you're going to reject me, please do it carefully. Try not to be too rough. _

I look down as the silence continues. I feel a finger lifting my head up and I'm met with a pair of apple green eyes, filled with emotion I can't decipher.

He murmurs, "Don't hide, Bella. I-I like you too. I have for a while. Remember that day in the meadow when I went in for the kiss? Well nothing changed for me since that day. Every day, I would feel longing for you, but I thought you didn't like me back."

I reply, "I've liked you ever since that day when that girl flirted with you. I felt jealousy and that's when I realized that l felt for you."

He grins, "So if I kiss you now, will you pull away?"

I shake my head and blush. "Of course not."

He smiles gently and leans in closer... closer… closer.

And then my phone rings. I silently curse and then lean back to answer the phone. Edward looks amused and I grumble, "Hello?"

"How's it going, Bella?" Renee practically screams.

"Mom! I've got to go. I'll talk to you later."

I blush hotly and turn back to Edward, who looks like he's trying to hold in his laughter. I glare at him, as if daring him to even snicker. He composes himself and says, "I thought you weren't going to pull away this time."

I reply, "Oh shut it Eddie, and let's try again."

He laughs and then leans in again. This time, his lips reach mine without interruption. As soon as our lips touch, I feel the sparks. Ok, not really, but it felt perfect, having our lips molded together like this. His lips are warm and soft.

I don't know if seconds passed, or minutes passed. Or even if hours passed, but when we pull apart, the only thing I'm thinking is: Again.

Edward's gazing at me intensely and he murmurs, "That was amazing Bella."

I blush even more, which you wouldn't think was possible.

"So are we officially boyfriend and girlfriend?" he asks.

"Yes, if that's what you want," I reply.

"It's what I want. And I have one more question for you."

"Yes?" I inquire.

"Would you like to go to the upcoming dance with me?"

**Finally! They're together. *Cheers loudly.**

**I know a lot of you will be wondering this, but Jake will NOT be in a love triangle with Bella and Edward. He's purely Bella's best childhood friend, and he makes her laugh. I'm sure many of you had read fan fiction with Jake as the other lover, so this might be something new for you. **

**Thanks for reading!**

**~DayJune**


	20. Happily Ever After

**Hi guys! I was going to wait until tomorrow to put this one up, since I already posted one today, but I was just too excited to wait, so I put it up today. You'll see why very soon...**

**Disclaimer: This will be the last disclaimer for the whole story, which means that this is the last chapter for this story. Yes, people, this is it. *Sobs. Anyway, here it is: I don't own Twilight. Ouch, that literally hurt.**

**Last Quote of the Day for this story: ****"And they lived happily (aside from a few normal disagreements, misunderstandings, pouts, silent treatments, and unexpected calamities) ever after."****  
****―****Jean Ferris****,****Twice Upon a Marigold**

Chapter 20: Happily Ever After

I rolled my eyes as Alice ran a brush through my hair, muttering in frustration, "We only have one hour left until the dance, and your hair is not cooperating with me."

I try and soothe her. "Alice, if my hair doesn't work out, I'll just keep it down."

Calla gasps from the opposite side of the room. "Edward wants to be dancing with a beautifully put together girl, Bella. Don't you dare say that!"

I sigh and slump down in the spinning chair I'm currently situated on. I had told Alice, Calla, and the rest of them about my relationship with Edward the day after it started, and was beginning to regret it. I knew they would find out eventually, but I should've put it off to the last minute.

Calla notices my exasperation and snickers. I glare at her and hiss, "At least you're allowed to do your hair and makeup by yourself. Alice never lets me."

Calla smirks. "If you had better style, then Alice would let you."

"Ouch, burn," I answer, sarcastically.

Calla had finished fixing her appearance thirty minutes ago, and was decked out in a white, angel like gown and silver high heels. Her dark hair had been tied up into a French bun and her face was embellished with silver eye shadow and deep red lipstick. She looked heavenly.

Meanwhile, Alice had finished herself about one hour ago and was decked out in a yellow tutu dress, black high heels, and her hair was carefully gelled to perfection. She was wearing light black eye shadow and soft pink lip gloss.

They both looked amazing, and I knew I was going to just pale in comparison.

Finally, after another 10 minutes of pulling my hair out and covering my face in various colors, Alice triumphantly shouts, "Done!"

I look in the mirror and gasp. It was… gorgeous. I didn't even look like plain, old Bella anymore. I was wearing a midnight blue silky, long dress, with silver sparkles carefully splashed onto the edges and glittery silver pumps. My hair had been tied up into a messy ponytail, with a few strands of hair let out of the hairdo. I had silver eye shadow on and light red lipstick. I turn to Alice, amazed, and murmur, "Thank you."

She scoffs, "You're already beautiful, Bella. I just fancied you up. Now, let's go. We have thirty minutes to get there. I insisted that the boys don't pick us up so we can surprise them at the dance. Rosalie's going to meet us there with Emmett, since she didn't approve of my plan."

We all nod and grab our purses. As soon as we walk downstairs, we see our parents' faces. We were at my house, so Esme, Carlisle, Quinn (Calla's mom), and Dave (Calla's dad) had joined Charlie and Renee at our house to watch as went to the dance. They all look up with proud expressions on their faces.

Charlie, never the emotional one, says in a gruff voice, "You look beautiful, Bella."

Meanwhile, Renee, ever the emotional one, sniffs and hugs me while saying, "Bella, my beautiful daughter. You're growing up!"

Taking after Charlie, I awkwardly pat her on the back and laugh out, "Mom, you're acting so sappy."

She laughs as she sniffles and pulls back. She caresses my cheek and orders, "Have fun tonight, okay?"

I nod and she smiles, satisfied.

After many pictures and more heartfelt exchanges (Gosh, it's not like the three of us were moving out forever or something), Calla, Alice and I are finally strapped into Alice's very nice Porsche. The ride there is filled with easy, light chatter, but inside, I'm nervous.

I always get nervous before seeing Edward. It's just something that happens. We reach the school and walk inside. The hallways are empty, and distant, pounding music can be heard. We walk towards the gym and when we arrive, we hand our tickets to the teacher manning the stand: Mr. Rodriguez, who's grading a bunch of tests. What a downer: seeing a teacher grading tests at the ticket stand in front of the last dance of the year.

He accepts our tickets quickly and resumes his grading. We walk inside and I'm astounded by the gloriousness of the gym. The bleachers have been pushed aside and the basketball hoops, lowered. On the walls are sparkly streamers in the colors: blue and silver. Black and white confetti litters the floors of the gym. A big, spinning disco ball is front and center and the DJ station is at the back of the gym. "We Can't Stop" by Miley Cyrus is playing (how ironic) and kids are dancing crazily on the dance floor. The lesser majority of kids are milling around aimlessly or hanging out at the refreshment table, stuffing food into their mouths.

It seems that Alice had spotted Jasper because she leaves us with a "Have fun!" and a quick wave. Ugh, always on the run, that girl. Calla and I wander around, searching for our boyfriends. She spots Grayson and waves good bye at me. Grumbling at how I'm always last, I look around some more for Edward.

Finally, I spot him being one of those people at the refreshment table. However, he's not stuffing food into his mouth. Instead, he's looking around the room with purpose, most likely trying to find me.

He looks amazing. He's wearing a white dress shirt with a black bow, immaculately. He's wearing black suspenders attached to black dress pants and black, shiny shoes. His hair looks as messy as ever, a familiarity. His green eyes dart back and forth around the room and when I begin to approach him, they stop and land on me. They widen in shock and then return to their regular size as I step up to him and hug him.

He wraps his arms around me and whispers, "You look beautiful, love."

I tease him when I hear my new nickname, "Love?"

He chuckles and replies, "You're ruining the moment, _love_."

I blush and mumble, "Sorry" against his chest.

He pulls away and as if on cue, slow music begins to play. He extends a hand and asks, "Would you like to dance, princess?"

"I'm more like a town's girl," I mutter back, amused.

He frowns. "You're _my _princess, love."

I blush and look into his eyes. "Well then you're my prince, who turned me from a town's girl into a princess. Fine?"

"Perfect."

He pulls me out into the dance floor.

We begin to dance and he rocks me back and forth. "Let's ditch this party, Princess."

"Why?" I ask.

"I want to take you somewhere," he replies.

"Seriously? We're wasting money."

He rolls his eyes. "Just come."

He scoops me up and I squeal as he runs out of the gym and out of the school. As soon we're out of the school, he puts me down.

"Just wanted to make a special exit there," he says.

"Well, you certainly did," I mutter, half embarrassed, and half amused.

He rolls his eyes and crouches down. He looks up at me. "Hop on, Princess."

"No way, Edward. You'll die from exhaustion," I protest weakly.

"You're kidding, right? You weigh next to nothing," he says with a smirk.

"Fine, but only because if I didn't, you'd make me another way," I reply, sulkily.

He smiles in victory. I hike my dress up and gingerly climb onto his back. And then he takes off running. I don't know how he did it, but soon, we're on the outside of the forest next to my house. I think I know where he's planning to take me.

He puts me down and says, "Let's go."

He takes my hand and we trek to our meadow. Soon, we reach it and I gasp. Tonight is a beautiful night; no clouds, perfect, clear sky, full moon, and warm but not humid weather. And the meadow is more beautiful at night rather than day.

The grass stands out even more against the dark blue backdrop, and stars scatter the sky, even more beautiful than clouds that take shape. Edward lies down and pats the spot next to him. I lie down where he gestures and it's silent for a few minutes.

Finally, Edward says, "Your eyes twinkle more than the stars tonight. They're more beautiful than the stars, too."

I tease, always the one to ruin a moment, "Cheesy, Prince."

He chuckles lightly and turns to face me. His green eyes smolder and he looks more like an angel tonight than he ever did before with his illuminated pale face and halo of bronze hair.

I lean in slightly and he leans in slightly. We both move in at the same time and our lips press together. Fireworks erupt inside of my head and at this moment in time, everything feels right.

Narrator's POV:

And thus, the story of a timid town's girl and an arrogant prince ends. But let's change the title around a bit.

There Once Was a Timid Town's Girl Who Made a Once Arrogant Prince, turn into a Chivalrous Prince. In Return, This Prince Made the Town's Girl a Princess, Though He Claimed, She Always Was One.

Now that seems about right.

_The End._

**It's over, and I can't believe it. Writing this story was an amazing experience and although I thought, at times, I wouldn't be able to complete this story, I did. **

**Thanks for all the support, opinions, alerts, reviews and constructive criticism that you guys gave me. It has been a pleasure writing for you all.**

**Special thanks to those reviewers that stuck with me through the entire story and always reviewed no matter how bad a certain chapter was. You guys encouraged me to keep on writing.**

**Once again, thanks for reading, and I'll see you in another story.**

**DayJune. **


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